Julie’s Latest – Page 4 – Julie Henkener – Integrating Toward a Wholly Life

04 Jan

Houston Quilt Festival 2014

Art, NASA, Spirituality, Women 5 Comments

The fortieth anniversary of the Houston Quilt Festival was held in November 2014 and I made a point to go – in fact it felt more like a pilgrimage than anything else. I signed up to volunteer at the NASA booth, which was expected to be busy, because astronaut Karen Nyberg was going to be speaking at the show that afternoon. I asked my friend and mentor Gail to go with me; she immediately agreed and even reserved a government vehicle for us, which I really appreciated. In this way, I had someone to keep me company in the car […]

04 Nov

Soul Cakes

Food, History, Holidays, Music No Comments

Last updated October 23, 2025 Souling History I’m a few days late, but I wanted to share with you a piece of what I have learned this year about the origin of Halloween and the tradition of something called soul cakes. Soul cakes, sometimes referred to as souls, are the precursor to Halloween trick or treating that dates to medieval England and Ireland. Before the Christian era began, Druidic rites included the building of bonfires to banish the evil spirits thought to be lurking in the shadows. All Hallows Eve (Hallowe’en), known at the time as Samhain, was the festival […]

Acrylic monoprint, copyright © Julie Henkener, made to go with quote by Catherine of Siena.

28 Oct

Catherine of Siena – On Perseverance

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, Quotes, Saints, Spirituality, Women No Comments

Last updated: May 31, 2026 Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) was born Caterina di Giacomo di Benincasa to a family of dye merchants in Siena, Italy. She began having mystical experiences in her childhood and decided at age 7 to dedicate her life to God. She did not go to school as a child, but she listened carefully at Mass and she learned about the lives of saints from her orphaned cousin Tommaso della Fonte, who was living with her family while he was studying to be a priest. Encouraged by Tommaso, as an adolescent, she defied her parents by cutting […]

15 Oct

Amma Theodora

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, Quotes, Spirituality, Women No Comments

Last updated: May 30, 2026 The Desert Mothers were women, known as ammas or “spiritual mothers,” who lived in the desert as Christian ascetics in the fourth and fifth centuries CE. Ammas were women who had achieved a spiritual maturity and wisdom that they developed during their withdrawal from mainstream society. These women gathered together in monastic communities, but there were also some who lived as hermits. For these early Christian women, one appeal of living in the desert was the freedom they could experience there that was not available to them in the usual female domains of the culture. […]

09 Oct

A Woman in Exodus

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, Old Testament, Spirituality, Travel, Women No Comments

Last updated: June 2, 2026 In January 2006, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Egypt on vacation. As part of the trip, our transportation included a bus trip across the desert and – in case you are wondering what the desert of the Exodus looks like – well this is it. It is austere, but still exhibits its own kind of desert beauty. We also visited St. Catherine’s Monastery, which is considered the historic site of the burning bush at the foot of Mt. Sinai. In addition to a photo of St. Catherine’s, here is a […]

Pennsylvania governor William Sproul signs 19th amendment that gave US women the right to vote

27 Aug

Women’s Equality Day 2017

History, Women No Comments

Last updated: June 10, 2026 On August 26, 1970, women in the United States held a nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution that guarantees women the right to vote and to advocate for passage of the Equal Right’s Amendment. The rally was sponsored by the National Organization for Women (NOW). It was estimaged that as many as 50,000 women had participated in the protest in New York City, and others gathered across the country. The following year, Bella Abzug, a congresswoman from New York, introduced a resolution to […]

Acrylic monoprint, copyright © Julie Henkener, made to go with quote by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (1648-1695)

22 Jul

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, History, Quotes, Women 2 Comments

Last updated: June 10, 2026 Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695) is regarded as one of the most prominent authors of Spanish literature and the foremost Baroque poet in seventeenth-century colonial Mexico (New Spain.) She was born in San Miguel Nepantla, the illegitimate daughter of Spanish Captain Pedro Manuel de Asbaje and a criolla (mixed race) woman, Isabel Ramírez. She learned to read at a young age, devouring her maternal grandfather’s books and showing signs of being an exceptionally intelligent child. At the age of 12, Sor Juana was sent to Mexico City, where she became a lady-in-waiting at […]

25 Jun

Prayer of Seeking and Weaving

Prayer, Spirituality No Comments

Last updated: May 30, 2026 To the God who searches, sweeping Her entire household looking for the lost coin, who celebrates when She finds us, we give You thanks and praise. As we join together our voices, we thank You for the gift of each other — for family and dear friends, for all who have stood by us in our searching times, in our lost times and our found times. God of All Seekers, who dwells within our hearts, hold us close and nurture us in Your hidden depths. Open to us the purse of Your being that is […]

25 Jun

Harriet Powers – A Sermon in Patchwork

Art, History, Women No Comments

Harriet Powers (1837-1911) was a creative African-American quilting genius! She used her quilts to re-tell familiar Bible stories in a unique and fascinating way. At least two of these story quilts have survived and are on display in American museums. Harriet Powers was born into slavery in rural Clarke County, Georgia, where she lived on a plantation owned by John and Nancy Lester. Details regarding her childhood and life as a young adult are lacking. However, we know that in 1855, she married Armstead Powers, who described himself as a “farmhand” in the census of 1870 and that she raised at […]

18 Jun

The New York Subway

New York, Travel No Comments

:: Guest blog post by Andy Hong :: Last updated: May 31, 2026 The subway is an excellent way to get around New York. Because of it, you are unlikely to need to have a car or take a taxi. It’s a little grimy and ratty, but beautifully so. Sure, it’s not as shiny and slick as Paris, Tokyo, London, or even Moscow, but keep in mind that this is the oldest subway system in the world, and it operates 24 hours a day, which is something that none of the others do. Make sure that you have a subway […]

Acrylic monoprint, copyright © Julie Henkener, made to go with blog post called a Midwives of Hope - Easter 2018.

15 Apr

Midwives of Hope – Easter 2017

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, Spirituality, Women No Comments

Last updated: June 2, 2026 This year I have tried to enter into the rhythm of Palm Sunday through Holy Week through Easter mindfully. As part of being mindful, I spent some time on Good Friday reflecting on the mysteries of death and resurrection – of the seasons of life. As always, I am impressed with the faith and commitment of the courageous women, who must have beaten down an incredible amount of anxiety and sorrow, as they gathered at the foot of the cross. And as always, I am moved by the mixture of grief and love that sent […]

International Women's Day poster 8 March 1914

05 Mar

International Women’s Day – March 8th

History, Women 4 Comments

The first National Women’s Day observance was organized by the Socialist Party of America, and was held on February 28, 1909 in New York. The original purpose was to serve as a remembrance of the strike of the International Ladies Garment Worker’s Union that occurred in 1908. As assemblies of women worldwide picked up on the idea, the earliest gatherings on International Women’s Day were mostly organized and supported by the socialist and communist movements. In August 1910, an International Women’s Conference was established as an event that preceded the general meeting of the Second Socialist International Conference in Copenhagen, […]

26 Feb

Half the Sky

Book Reviews, Current Events, feminism, Women No Comments

Last updated: August 10, 2023 I look on this blog post as perhaps a little bit of vintage 1970s consciousness-raising, using twenty-first century tools. I have just re-read the book “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” written by the Pulitzer Prize winning husband and wife team Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Published in 2009, the statistics are surely not up to date, but it gives a thorough accounting of the many ways women (in developing and/or war-torn countries especially) are cruelly mistreated, and the risks that are associated with just being born female. Kristof and WuDunn […]

Kaleidoscope - Surprising Illuminated Image by Julie Henkener

28 Jan

A Surprising Illuminated Image

Art, Spirituality No Comments

More and more I have come to love the feeling of being creative – working with images and creating visual art. However, I did not really begin the journey to learn about art and how to integrate artwork of my own and those of others with my spiritual life until just over 10 years ago. So I thought it might be nice to go back in time and share with you a description of my very first art in spirituality workshop back in 2006. That year, a group called Illuminations, led by my friend Stephanie Visokay, began meeting periodically at […]

13 Jan

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

New York, Travel No Comments

:: Guest blog post by Andy Hong :: It’s pretty obvious that going to see the Statue of Liberty is a leading tourist destination, so what more needs to be said? The thing that I would point out primarily about the Statue of Liberty is that security is tight ….. as in tighter than airport security. Keep this in mind in regards to the timeslot that you have scheduled on your ticket. It will take awhile to get through security to access the pedestal at the Statue. A regular ticket will get you access to the observation platform at the […]

27 Dec

Seven Sacred Pauses

Book Reviews, Spirituality No Comments

The liturgy of the hours is a traditional monastic practice of pausing for prayer at given intervals during the day. However, this practice can also be adapted for non-monastics as a way of entering more mindfully into the rhythm of each day. In Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day, Macrina Wiederkehr gives us a very beautiful and practical guide for incorporating gentle reminders of God’s graces into our everyday lives. For each of the seven pauses, she draws upon a lifetime of Benedictine spirituality to describe the themes and images that are associated with the hour. […]

Walking the Manhattan Bridge - Andy Hong

04 Dec

Walking the Bridges

New York, Travel 4 Comments

:: Guest blog post by Andy Hong :: Last updated: May 31, 2026 It is certainly no longer a secret and in fact, walking the Brooklyn Bridge has become a massive tourist attraction. Walking the bridge is very much worth the time invested, as you won’t find a stone bridge on this scale anywhere. It’s probably not as long as you think – the walking distance is less than a mile. Conditions can be rough if it is windy (that is cold). The views are fantastic down to the New York Harbor, the downtown and mid-town skylines, and upriver to […]

Black Lines by Vasily Kandinsky Guggenheim Museum

04 Dec

Art Museums in New York Part 2

Art, New York, Travel No Comments

Andy and I usually make our annual pilgrimage to New York in November which always includes great jazz and great art. This year we went to The Met and the Guggenheim and here are a few strategies and recommendations for these two incredible museums. The Met – The Metropolitan Museum of Art, located on museum mile at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street, can be completely overwhelming. There are usually a number of different exhibits going on at any given time, so it can be hard to choose what to see. It is the largest art museum in […]

29 Oct

Art Museums in New York Part 1

Art, New York, Travel No Comments

I believe it is probably no surprise, but I’ve never found a city other than New York that has so many great art museums, and I have visited very many art museums around the world over the years. The nice thing about art museums is that they always have exhibits scheduled well in advance, so you can check online to see if they have anything that is interesting to you before your trip to NY. Of course the permanent collections for many of these museums are amazing also. In my experience, the trick to having a good time at a […]

Sojourner Truth acrylic monoprint copyright © Julie Henkener

06 May

Sojourner Truth – Ain’t I a Woman?

Abstract Art, Acrylic Monoprints, Art, Quotes, Women No Comments

Last updated: January 15, 2024 Sojourner Truth (circa 1797-1883) was born into slavery in rural, Ulster County New York and named Isabella Baumfree, speaking only Dutch for her first 9 years. She was beaten and abused by her owners and was sold to John Dumont in 1810 for about $175. She married an older slave named Thomas around 1815 and bore five children. According to New York law, all slaves were to be emancipated in 1827, but Dumont had promised to free her a year earlier than that. When he reneged, Isabella finished what she regarded as her seasonal duties […]

1979 Dinner Party feminist art by Judy Chicago, Brooklyn Museum

06 May

Brooklyn Museum – Who’s Coming for Dinner?

Art, Travel, Women 3 Comments

The first time we went to the Brooklyn Museum was just so amazing! For one thing, there is the iconic Georgia O’Keefe painting of the Brooklyn Bridge, but then of course there is one of my favorite art installations of all time – The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago. The Dinner Party was a monumental creative undertaking that began in 1971. Judy and a large group of other artisans worked on it for a number of years, and the exhibit finally opened at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on March 14, 1979. After traveling the country for many […]

Photo at Dacha garden party outside Moscow

01 May

Welcome World !

Spirituality No Comments

It seems like it is common for one to begin a blog with a “Hello World!” posting. Instead, as I begin this new venture, I say “Welcome World!” Welcome of course is directly linked to the concept of hospitality, which seems to me is so intrinsic to developing and maintaining right relationships. I have been blessed to experience and share times of hospitality both in my travels worldwide and in parties and other celebrations I have hosted over the years. My mother taught me the importance of being a good and attentive host and for including everyone – I just […]