May 25, 2022 Our flag slides down the silver poleonce againstopping halfwayagainits trajectory now rooted in its memory.This time it pauses and waversin remembrance of nineteen childrentwo school teacherstrapped and murdered in a classroom,each crumbling one after anotheronto the blood-stained floor.I see their photos, smile after smileon brown faces, white faces,hopeful faces,one child wears aContinue reading "Half-Mast"
In Between ~ Welcome 4
April 16, 2022 Thank you to those of you who have followed my prayer and spiritual reflections this Lenten Season. I have tried—and continue to try—the three basic tenets of Zen Peacemaking: the not knowing what will happen at any point in time; the bearing witness to all the different feelings (“parts”) of us withoutContinue reading "In Between ~ Welcome 4"
Welcome, Welcome ~ 3
April 10, 2022 Palm Sunday is a fitting day for reflection on the third “relinquishment” of the Welcoming Prayer, a prayer I have visited in the previous two blogs. It is also a fitting day for reflecting on our response to the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine and to any injustice that invites us toContinue reading "Welcome, Welcome ~ 3"
Welcome, Welcome ~2
April 2, 2022 Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned;The best lack all conviction, while the worstAre full of passionate intensity. This poem, The Second Coming, wasContinue reading "Welcome, Welcome ~2"
Welcome, Welcome
March 28, 2022 If you have never wanted to control a person or fix a situation, if you have never wanted to step in and take over because you knew your way was best, if you have never tossed and turned in the night because of worry, then raise your hand. That’s what I thought. Continue reading "Welcome, Welcome"
A Way to Be: Taking Action
March 18, 2022 "Fate of Hundreds Unknown: Missiles Hit City in Ukraine's West" "13 Year Old Boy Drives Truck into Van, Killing Nine People in Texas" "Powerful Storms Could Bring Tornadoes To the Southeast (USA)" "An International Agency Warns About a Global Energy Crisis" "If you know how to make good use of the mud,Continue reading "A Way to Be: Taking Action"
A Way to Be: Bearing Witness
March 11, 2022 The Table You know these voices,if you have ears to hear.They are legion, whispering(or shouting) within youdesperate to be noticed,coming from all cornersof your life, east and west,north and south, from infancy,to old age, and all the seasonsin between,soloists tugging atyour sleeve for attention.You wonder why they botheryou and what they wantwhileContinue reading "A Way to Be: Bearing Witness"
A Way to Be: Not Knowing
March 7, 2022 I won’t speak for you, but I want to know how the war in Ukraine is going to end. I want to know now. I want to know if we are through with the crisis of Covid-19 or if another variant will emerge this spring or summer or fall with all itsContinue reading "A Way to Be: Not Knowing"
A Way to Be
March 2, 2022 In the Christian tradition, today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the six-week period called Lent and is a day to ponder our own mortality. Considering the last two years of perpetual Lent co-existing with the pandemic, it seems sometimes that pondering our own mortality is all we have been doing. AndContinue reading "A Way to Be"
When You Choose War
. . . you cannot stopthe Lenten rose’s pale white blossomsfrom unfurlingnor can you commandthe pink-tinged buds of tulip treesto fold inward.When you choose war, know thatthe grass still greens in spring,the titmouse seeks its “peter-peter,”the black and white cat curls herselfin the dust-moted spill of sun.When war is your choice, prepare yourselffor deep-souled wordsContinue reading "When You Choose War"
Spirit Reflections 