Learning How to Listen

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak . . . James 1:19 In this increasingly noisy world, consider the almost lost art of listening.  We tend to talk over each other, interrupt, or wait for the space between another person’s breath so that weContinueContinue reading “Learning How to Listen”

Thresholds in Life

Many faith traditions and spiritual disciplines offer a time of self-examination, a time of self-reflection to assess where we have been, where we are going, what we can release, and what we can carry forward.  For Christians, this season is called Lent; the same opportunity goes by other names in other traditions.  As I reflectContinueContinue reading “Thresholds in Life”

Reflection on the Pandemic

One year ago, on March 13, 2020, the first case of Coronavirus was reported.  Our governor announced that all schools would immediately close for three weeks.  On March 16, businesses began closing and sending their employees home to work.  On March 18, statewide orders prevented gatherings of more than 25 people, closed beaches, and postponedContinueContinue reading “Reflection on the Pandemic”

And it is good . . .

Awaken to the mystery of being hereand enter the immensity of your own presence.Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses. . . .Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.May you experience each day as a sacred gift wovenaround a heart of wonder. For Presence, John O’Donohue I take part inContinueContinue reading “And it is good . . .”

Being Mindful About Who You Follow

There is an episode in the gospels (the stories about Jesus Christ) in the New Testament of the Bible where Jesus is teaching in a synagogue, and what he says so upsets his audience that they hustle him to a hilltop with the intention of flinging him over the cliff—a handy remedy for discomfort.  However,ContinueContinue reading “Being Mindful About Who You Follow”

How Shall We Rise?

This month marks the one-year anniversary of Covid-19 being declared a worldwide pandemic.  I don’t believe this is the type of anniversary where we will fetch balloons and champagne, but anniversaries, like birthdays, invite us to reflect on where we were a year ago and where we are now, along with who we were aContinueContinue reading “How Shall We Rise?”

Spring Cleaning 2021

During this past year of pandemic and politics, I admit that I have not accomplished the numerous projects I’ve heard other people claim during this “stay at home” time.  I have not repainted a single room.  I have not learned a new language.  I have not come to love cooking, especially after doing it threeContinueContinue reading “Spring Cleaning 2021”

Each New Day

At the beginning of each day,after we open our eyesto receive the lightof that day, As we listen to the voicesand the soundsthat surround us, We must resolve to treat each houras the rarest of gifts,and be gratefulfor the consciousnessthat allows us to experience it,recalling in thanksthat our awareness is a presentfrom we know notContinueContinue reading “Each New Day”

A Poem About Lent

This blog, offered in the transitional time between winter and spring, as the earth reawakens, as we continue rising from ashes to hope (an ongoing journey), as many religious traditions invite us to a time of introspection, honesty, and repentance, is, I pray each time I post, a place of respite where words of gentlenessContinueContinue reading “A Poem About Lent”

Fissures and Light

I belong to a group called “The Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks,” a title that resonates with me because it breaks the mold of how the world sees “religion.”  The people in this group are artists:  writers, poets, painters, dancers, sculptors, songwriters, and more—anyone willing to embrace creativity–and we delight in letting THE Creator outContinueContinue reading “Fissures and Light”