by Heather Diamond | Mar 31, 2021 | Belief, Blog, Family, Intercultural, Relationships, Tradition
Ching Ming (also spelled Qing Ming), one of two annual “grave-sweeping” observances in the Chinese calendar, coincides with Easter this year, which seems vaguely appropriate to me. They are both commemorations of death, transition, and afterlife. Of course, Easter focuses on a single individual while Ching Ming is when Chinese families honor their ancestors. I might be stretching things, but the emphasis in both cases seems to be on continuity after death.
by Heather Diamond | Jul 6, 2019 | Belief, Blog, Intercultural, Writing
When “Waterbabies” was accepted for publication by Memoir Magazine last year, I was elated. It was my first “yes” from a literary magazine. The editor asked only for a slight reorganization to emphasize my focus on healing, to not end on the word “blood.” I made the...
by Heather Diamond | Aug 15, 2018 | Belief, Tradition, Travel
Last week we were in Bangkok, a city dotted with shrines. Elaborate, temple-shaped shrines to the Buddha, the new king, and the queen mother appear alongside traffic-clogged roads, in front of hospitals, inside and outside of upscale shopping malls. Confectionary...
