Lent Day One: Anthony De Mello

February 14, 2024 “Both what you run away from—and yearn for—is in you.”  Anthony De Mello, Society of Jesus I begin these Lenten day blogs with a quotation from Fr. Anthony de Mello that seemed to peg me. I sometimes wonder if we really are as complex as we imagine we are, or if, instead, weContinue reading "Lent Day One: Anthony De Mello"

Sifting Ashes ~ A Lenten Poem

Feb. 13, 2024 Sifting Ashes What would you doif you were invitedto enter your heartin this seasonof self-honesty?If you were encouragedto leave reason and judgmentbehind and insteadask grace to be yourcompanion?Would you say yes?Would you accept the flashlightoffered when you crossedthe threshold, the decoder ringneeded to deciphereach message that begsrevelation?Could you look?Once inside, would youContinue reading "Sifting Ashes ~ A Lenten Poem"

From Pelagius to David Bowie

Feb 12, 2024 Note: Second attempt to email this post. “Write down with your own hand on paper what God has written with his hand on the human heart.”  Pelagius For Christmas this past year, I gave my daughter a stack of notecards, each one inscribed with a quotation that had drifted across my path fromContinue reading "From Pelagius to David Bowie"

From Pelagius to David Bowie

February 11, 2024 “Write down with your own hand on paper what God has written with his hand on the human heart.”  Pelagius For Christmas this past year, I gave my daughter a stack of notecards, each one inscribed with a quotation that had drifted across my path from the Universe and had gifted me. Continue reading "From Pelagius to David Bowie"

Reverie ~

December 26, 2023: The Second Day of Christmas ReverieThe tree stands bare in the spillof white candlelightthat beckons remembrance,the still air laden with pungent pine.I unwrap memorieslifted from silk-worn boxes,and passing years emerge,reflecting faces mirroredin each round and shiny ball. A piece of crumpled tissue dropsand here is the rocking horsesuspended on a crimson stringthat markedContinue reading "Reverie ~"

Advent 4: Not yet and Now

December 24, 2023 Every seven years, the fourth Sunday of Advent lands on December 24 and coincides with Christmas Eve.  What’s to be done, since Advent is a season of waiting and Santa Claus is coming tonight?  For many Christians, it offers a day of church-going, marking the fourth Sunday of Advent and its purpleContinue reading "Advent 4: Not yet and Now"

The Longest Night

December 21, 2023 To all those, everywhere, who are experiencing a "longest night" this holy-day season, hold fast to the promise that "the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it" (John 1:5). And a poem to remind each other we are not along, but together, we can share our light: CandleContinue reading "The Longest Night"

Advent 3: What if . . .

December 18, 2023 What If . . . we turned down the noiseof Holiday Traditionsclosed the email accountswith all of those varioussources that encourage usto do Adventrightset aside the plethoraof spiritual bookshoping to guide us intoa valley of perfectwaitingand tuned outthe spiritual guruseager to revealthe promise ofimpeccablestillness.What ifit were enoughinsteadto sitwordlessjust as we arein aContinue reading "Advent 3: What if . . ."

Advent One: A Story

December 2023 When I was a child, I was mesmerized by the Advent Season.  Mesmerized is a powerful word, and completely accurate.  I still see that sense of rapt wonder on the faces of children watching candlelight, and I hope it still shows on my own. Advent, which means coming, is the four-week period inContinue reading "Advent One: A Story"