SheDrinksLattes Presents: My Brooklyn Rant and Roll, Posted January 20, 2008
Dance-a-thon

SheDrinksLattes Presents: My Brooklyn Rant and Roll, Posted November 20, 2006
Duck Soup
A Classic! Soon to be our act at the next Talent Show!

SheDrinksLattes Presents: My Brooklyn Rant and Roll, Posted November 3, 2006
Born to Dance
This kid brings the house down!

SheDrinksLattes Presents: My Brooklyn Rant and Roll, Posted July 13, 2005
Jesus is King, and He Lives in a Box on Wyckoff Street

No, really it's true. My son told me himself. Sure I knew he lived in a box, I passed him regularly. But I never knew what the story was behind that, and excepted it as just one of those endearing Brooklyn quirks. But one day I was walking with my son, and as we passed his shrine, my son looked at him, then at me and said, "He's the king".
     Up to that point, I wasn't sure how to address this subject. I'm not just referring to the fact that Jesus is in a box on our block. But how I should introduce him, as we don't go to church, and it's just not a part of our routine. For most people, residents of Cobble Hill, and especially those of Wyckoff street, they are very familiar with Jesus and his residence here. I pass my neighbors daily, and after we pass him, in his box, we hardly blink an eye. We are used to his presence. Quite often I see the more devote, little old ladies, stopping to place a flower next to the box, and crossing themselves before they move on. For my family, who visits from Virginia, it's quite an eccentric thing.. a typical Brooklyn thing. All these quirks amuse them.
     I wasn't especially raised with religion, we went to church on the holidays, but that's about it. Later when I was a teenager, I pursued it, with help from my mom, and eventually found a place I fit in, at a Presbyterian church. There I joined choir and subsequently went to church on Sundays. But I eventually found myself in doubt, and confused, and thus stopped going. Through the years I pursued other spiritual means, including Buddhism. These days I'm not a religious person, and I don't go to church.
     I don¹t know really how to address the issue with my sons. Sometimes I think I should take them, but then if I don't believe in the act of going to church, that would make me a hypocrite. I am a spiritual being, I have my beliefs, but these are things I arrived at on my own. And I kind of think my sons should have that same option. So when I stumbled upon Jesus, right here on my block, I wasn't sure how much detail I should get into. Who he is, what he did, what people believe, he died for our sinsŠ the whole history. Isn't this too complex for a child to understand? All these things seemed too mature for them. I myself didn't have any reference on how to approach this. I mean, the explanation, or power that a parent gives you. Mine let me make my own way through this. So, do I do the same? Or do I guide them more directly?
     But my son solved this very problem, at least for now. He simply stated, pointing at Jesus in his box, "He's the king". I just looked at him, and said. Yes, that's true.