Grief and Anger: Appropriate Responses at the Tomb of Lazarus, in Dylan Thomas’ poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”, and in Our Own Lives (Anna Friedrich)

This week's episode features audio from a lecture with Anna Friedrich entitled, Grief and Anger: Appropriate Responses at the Tomb of Lazarus, in Dylan Thomas’ poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”, and in Our Own Lives.

It is easier for some of us to make room for sadness than for anger, especially in the wake of tragedy, or even in the plain old story of getting older. Dylan Thomas’s famous poem of imperatives for his dying father set alongside the reaction of Jesus at his friend’s tomb, can together spark helpful reflections on how grief and anger are often just the right responses to the brokenness we encounter in our world.

Anna Friedrich grew up in southern Virginia, playing guitar, frequenting thrift stores, and dreaming of being a missionary in Africa or in the Amazon someday. After a semester abroad in Nairobi, Kenya, and a brief stint studying music, she read one shining paragraph in a book by Steve Garber that mentioned a place in Switzerland called L’Abri, where questions were welcome, so she packed her bags and headed to Europe.

A two-month stay at L’Abri turned into two years, an engagement, a wedding, and a little later – a baby! She went on to work at several churches in the role of Worship Director, but has spent most of her adult life homeschooling her two sons, Cole and Adam (and she may have written one hit youtube song about the periodic table). Anna has been back in L’Abri work since 2013, when she and her family moved to Switzerland to serve there for four years. Since 2017, she has been a part of the Southborough L’Abri team, enjoying a new-found love of poetry, and a new-found ability to cope with winter in New England. She loves to teach the Bible most of all, but also enjoys leading discussions on spiritual disciplines and practices, poetry, creation care, and butterflies.

Anna is currently working towards a Graduate Diploma through Regent College in Canada.

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