“Sarah laughed.” A brief lexicographical survey of biblical figures who were said to have laughed is a short list. Many are familiar with a famous matriarch from Genesis 18, Sarah (Abraham’s wife). When Sarah is told by a messenger of the Lord that she will conceive and bear a child in her old age, she…
You are so little to be set loose in the wide prairie, your arms no more than twigs, your trunk pencil-thin. As we press earth around your roots, we pray that the sun and the soil will feed you, the rain will enliven you, the moon will watch over you, that you will grow up…
Like many around the globe, I was deeply moved to hear of the deaths of South African, Anglican bishop and theologian Desmond Tutu (Oct. 7, 1931–Dec. 26, 2021), and Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, author, poet, teacher and founder of Plum Village also known as the “father of mindfulness” Thich Nhat Hanh (Oct. 11, 1926–Jan.…
You are holy and sacred And utterly unique. There are gifts you were born to give. Songs you were born to sing. Stories you were born to tell. And if you do not give it, The world will simply lose it. It is yours alone to offer, No one can give it for you. And…
Millions of people around the world were saddened this week by the passing of Thich Nhat Hanh. The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, which he founded in 1982, posted this message on their website: The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism announces that our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has passed away…
One of my beloved spiritual friends emailed me a creative reflection template (pictured above) that invites an artistic way to reflect and journal about the past year 2021 flowing into our newly started year 2022. I love the flowy circular nature of this template and the gentle phrasing of the writing prompts. I find myself…
[Image: “A Sunday on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat (1884)] “White. A blank canvas, his favorite, so many possibilities …” “Sunday, by the blue purple yellow red water!” So begins the entry to Steven Sondheim’s magnificent choral rendition from the musical “Sunday in the Park with George,” an exploration of the…
“When someone says to us, as Thich Nhat Hanh suggests, ‘Darling, I care about your suffering,’ a deep healing begins.” ―Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha When my three-year-old son tested positive for Covid-19, I felt strongly that I couldn’t panic, or fret, or wring my hands. He’s a…
Thin translucent thread of life and death Spinning and twirling in the slightest and soft held embrace of the earth’s breath Glistening in the sun, awe inspiring chaotic intertwined dance of perfection Viability and ruination front and center, all defining, but meaningless on this gossamer space ride An instance of landing with both grace and…
A long afternoon of light on the edge of the forest not in the thick of it yet, the door cracked open watching the wind stir the late-hanging leaves, the stems of grasses, the shadows stretching toward me while the sky stretches higher and higher and whatever I had in mind to accomplish is not…