Compelling energy—the thousands of activists who over fifty years ago in 1963 committed themselves to nonviolence and marched courageously in Birmingham for all. Spawning several grassroots movements, Dr. Martin Luther King’s candid “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” called people to pledge not only to march for justice, but also to make active nonviolence a way…
DetailsTwelve years ago, my husband and I had a somewhat untraditional wedding. We rented a large inn for the weekend and invited our close friends and family to come celebrate and help us create the perfect weekend. One friend helped me buy all the food, and my aunt cooked it. My mom made the flower…
Details“We cannot live in a world that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.” —Hildegard of Bingen For many, this…
DetailsEach day—sometimes two or three times a day—I go outside for a contemplative walk. Sometimes I walk far into the woods, sometimes to the edge of the river and sometimes I’ll just walk right outside my door to touch my bare feet to the Earth. Sometimes I find myself singing a prayerful song called “Hidden…
Details“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” —Mark Twain Notable figures throughout human history have worked as changemakers, for good and ill. Was it easier to change the way things were 20 years ago? Unlikely. Change is, by its very nature, a stretching of the…
DetailsFor Love of Our Creature-Kin, Part 1 In the Harry Potter world where magic’s power is felt most profoundly within the protection of love, Newt Scamander is a wizard for our times. He speaks, lives and breathes with the beasts. In the first film of the series, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” Newt…
DetailsPrairiewoods is pleased to announce the release of a new book of poetry, Outstretched Boughs, that celebrates the spirituality of trees, especially those found on the 70 acres of land known as Prairiewoods. It was created in loving memory of Kathy Decker and Betty Daugherty, FSPA, and features original poetry and photography from more than…
DetailsThis week I’ve been feasting on these beauties! Cherry tomatoes and peaches—each morning, a prayer. Once a small seed nourished over time by loving heart, sun, moon, wind, rain, stars, tender hands … they ripen seemingly simply sitting on the kitchen counter. Each morning’s prayer, I count myself so blessed to have somehow through anticipation…
DetailsLet’s be real here. When we’re truly struggling, it can be hard to put words to the unrest in our soul. Connecting with our Creator can feel insurmountable. In trying times, I find that I fall back on the simple repetition of a mantra, a hymn from childhood or a memorized line of scripture. When…
DetailsLess driving, more walking and biking More waving and smiling as we pass one another Less traffic, more birdsong, more pausing to listen to the birdsong Less shopping, more mending More paring down to what is essential for us to thrive More meals prepared with less rush, eaten with more pleasure Listening to our bodies…
DetailsI recently read Glennon Doyle’s new book, Untamed. It took me a while to read because each chapter brought up spiritual and emotional crescendos that resonated deeply and widely, inward and outward—and then I felt invited to pause. I actually had to pause because by the end of most chapters I found myself crying a…
Details“The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.” —Joanna Macy When the heart is breaking for someone else, the brain warns, “Don’t go too far or there will be nothing left.” Our bodies are well designed to protect us from external threats, emotional and physical. Experiences of trauma and stress can trigger our…
DetailsOn Christmas Eve in 1968, while the astronauts of Apollo 8 circumnavigated the moon, a momentous shift in perspective emerged unexpectedly for human-kind. In the midst of the space module’s scheduled “roll” to capture photos of the moon’s surface, Astronaut Bill Anders noticed a fantastic image arising over his shoulder. “Oh my God!” Anders exclaimed.…
DetailsThe following is written by a perpetually novice wisdom seeker with early onset overly active mind syndrome, ever and always a student with several wonderful teachers and countless others. The importance of community seems to be especially relevant today. How is it defined and what has it meant, means and will it mean in our…
DetailsJust a three-minute step outside the door of the Prairiewoods Guest House offered many “blessings in the chaos.” Drawn to the vibrant, beautiful stillness of these flowers and slow saunter of doe and fawn … “let there be an opening into the quiet that lies beneath the chaos,” echoed throughout all of creation on this…
Details“My grandmother once gave me a tip: In difficult times, you move forward in small steps. Do what you have to do, but little by little. Don’t think about the future, or what may happen tomorrow. Wash the dishes. Remove the dust. Write a letter. Make a soup. You see? You are advancing step by…
Details“What I loved in the beginning, I think, was mostly myself. Never mind that I had to, since somebody had to. That was many years ago. Since then I have gone out from my confinements, though with difficulty. I mean the ones that thought to rule my heart. I cast them out, I put them…
DetailsHail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, now and in the hour of our death. Amen. I’ve been thinking about the spiritual soundtrack of my life, reflecting on songs I…
DetailsJesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.…
Details“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…
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