Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 12 Editor's Choice: 3
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Maturing Beyond a Black and White World
[Read the article: I'm a doubting teenager]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I grew up in a conservative Roman Catholic family. While the dogma was not the same as fundamentalism, things were very black and white in my house - some things were good and some things were bad and there was no in between. This thinking shaped how I viewed everything in the world: God, politics, friendships, jobs, colleges, etc. There was good or there was bad.
At some point in high school I began to do just what this young writer has done - I began to see the gray area. I realized that the world is complex and full of subtle differences that are important. It was confusing and to my parents seemed rebellious. But it wasn't rebelliousness, it was just maturity.
In the end (and many years later), I have kept my deep and profound faith in God, but left the Roman Catholic church. I found a home in the Episcopal church, but there are many other denominations and non-denominational churches that will encourage you to grow in faith while you explore the complexities of the human experience.
You are a smart, thoughtful young person who is obviously capable of self-assessment. You can observe the world around you and recognize that what you see and experience does not always match what those in authority are telling you about the world. These are amazing traits that indicate that you are maturing in a healthy way - I know many adults that are not capable of those things.
Best of luck to you.
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Enough with the draping already!
[Read the article: TV Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I must admit, I am so over Rami and the draping thing. Seriously, how many times do the judges have to tell him that they want to see something new from him?! Haven't they told him that almost every week?!
I think I have finally come to the conclusion that draping is the only thing he can do. He says that it is because he is passionate about it, but if he could do other things, why wouldn't he do them to avoid being scolded by the judges each week? Though, I suppose that it really hasn't hurt him all that much since they are giving him a chance to show at Bryant Park.
I feel sorry for Chris. He now has to go through all the work of making a collection with a chance that he won't be able to show it at Bryant Park (it is so strange to say that in the future tense, since the showing at Bryant Park was actually last week).
But, it was a brilliant move on the part of the Producers. So much more fun to keep us in suspense - and it certainly gives us a lot to talk about!
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Delightful
[Read the article: Of Valentine's jinxes and packaged gnocchi ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Rebecca,
Thanks for the darling article about Valentine's Day. I appreciate your willingness to be thoughtful and truthful about your life and experience. Salon can be a tough crowd when one attempts to share genuine moments of vulnerability, especially when they include anything that might appear to be a mistake - even if you were only 13.
What I appreciate most, however, was your ability to avoid the sappy place where this article could have gone. Instead of wrapping all things up with a nice pretty bow at the end and evoking emotions that would have been inappropriate to the situation, you just told it like it was. No lofty tie between the conquering of the gnocchi and the conquering of love. No heartfelt pledge to live life differently and love differently because of this one experience. You gave us a glimpse of a moment in time that was significant to you and left us to interpret that in our own way. Thank you for leaving it right where you did - you gave me the ability to think about your experience and how it relates to my own experiences, without any sort of bias.
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Indeed
[Read the article: Thinking weaselish thoughts at Eastertide]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've been grumpy since Christmas about the fact that Easter comes so early this year. I feel like I barely had time to recover from New Year's and Lent was upon us. And then this line comes along:
God, in His humorous way, sometimes schedules high holy days for a time when your faith is at low tide, a mud flat strewn with newspapers and children's beach toys, and while everyone else is all joyful and shiny among the lilies and praising up a storm, there you are, snarfling and grumbling.
You see, to add to my grumpiness, I am finishing my last year in seminary. Soon I will be ordained a priest. And I'm grumpy and cynical - it's been a tough process. There are many days where I have forgotten why I am here and feel the urge to graduate and go back to my previous career. But, then Easter comes. Right in the middle of my doubts and my grumblings.
So I'll join you for a while in the doubter's chair, watching from the back. There is always something new to be learned.