“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” —Pierre Teilhard de Chardin It’s easy to set a goal and hard to reach it. Progress toward anything meaningful or worthwhile is fraught with challenge, obstacle and frustration. No one will make it out of this place without…
There is battle raging within me. The two sides in this war are the importance of speaking up about issues that matter versus loving a friend unconditionally, being vocal versus being neutral, taking a stand versus holding a hand. I strongly believe that, as Desmond Tutu famously said, “If you are neutral in situations of…
“Conversation is perhaps our greatest hope not only for healing the rifts in human understanding but also for restoring and reinspiring our relationship with the natural world, which is our first and most profound home. Care of the world is always essential, and care arises from conversation.” —Thomas Dean, Introduction, Tallgrass Conversations: In Search of…
Branches swaying in the wind, a dervish mystic spinning in adoration, the flow of water, the rhythm of breath. All of creation is alive and moving around us, whether our eyes perceive it or not. From the light of distant stars, to the orbiting electrons of atoms, all of creation dances. Movement is sacred and…
Wind Crisply enfolding Fierce embrace, elegant dance Howling for play-mates Water Frosted lace, iced stars Miraculous, sensuous Each piercing my soul Fire Sumptuous hearth-guild Crackling and warming the depths Becoming one flame Earth Blanketed with white Thrumming steadily beneath Dreaming into spring How is your elemental heartbeat alive and dreaming in the wintering months? Send us…
Today, Thursday, February 4, 2021 I sit writing THIS blog post, for Friday, February 12. Snow stills everyone and everything; weather forecasters caution “reducing visibility.” We literally peer out at trillions and trillions and trillions of snowflakes transforming before our very eyes … flakes frolicking with furry-friended squirrels … dances of universal peace to…
What will we do with all the broken things? What will we do with the world, our feelings of frustration, our struggle with God? Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold. It’s not just a practice, but it’s a meditation. Because the pottery is made stronger and more beautiful…
“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away…
Earlier this winter, on the morning of our first major snowstorm, my tub faucet started dripping suddenly. I immediately called my dad to ask how to fix it and had the necessary repair parts in hand within 48 hours, but I have to admit that it took eleven days from the time of the first…
The expression “for the birds” has always intrigued me. My grandparents and parents employed it when they wanted to discredit a claim, practice,\ or belief as trivial or meaningless. “Wearing shoes with no socks is for the birds,” they might say. In my family, “Nichts taugen (nothing good)!” was the German equivalent. According to Grammarist…