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Mary's Life-Lesson for Me

Mary's Life-Lesson for Me

How I unlearned bad religion.

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Jake Owensby
Dec 22, 2023
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Mary's Life-Lesson for Me
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Thank you for being a paid subscriber! This post from the archive is just for you.

Your generosity has helped adults to learn to read, is giving children in an underserved school district access to afterschool programs, has provided Christmas gifts and food in our local community, and much more.

This essay was originally published a year ago and as such resides in the archive. As a paid subscriber, you always have access to the archive, to early access podcasts, and other extras like this.

Merry Christmas, friends!

And now, a lesson from Mary:

Mary’s Life-Lesson for Me

My late father Sam had three sons: Joel, Joseph, and me. Born of my father’s first wife, Joel is my half-brother and five years my senior. Joseph and I share the same mother. Born three years before me, Joseph died before I came on the scene.

Henry Ossawa Tanner, “The Annunciation”

My father also had two daughters. Marsha is his oldest child, ten years older than me and daughter of his first wife. My mother bore Marie when I w…

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