In times of imbalance in body, mind and spirit, I turn to the healing powers of the natural world. On a day when the heart of this retired healthcare worker ached with the rising numbers of COVID-19 deaths, I spent time at my beloved Prairiewoods. My eye caught the bright yellow-green new growth of the…
Happy Juneteenth! Observation of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day continues since 1865 to spread across the United States and beyond. Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. A growing awareness of this celebration in cities across the country invites us to reflect how oppressive racism and pervasive violence imprisons. Amid…
It all began with an email. Sister Joann Gehling invited me to consider participating in a prayer vigil for several immigrants who have been detained in the Linn County Jail. Some of their hearings were to take place on Wednesday, June 3, at the US District Courthouse. Family members would be present as part of…
“The Chinese philosopher Confucius (551–479 BC) put forth the notion of a social self—a self inextricably linked to the life of others. Each person is not morally autonomous, but a social being whose identity derives from his interaction and conduct within the broader human community. Central to a healthy and enlivened social self is the…
Each week I look forward to the Tuesday Prayer Experience Series. It is a special and sacred time, made even more beautiful and powerful by a lovely and unique group of people praying together. All are welcome, and each week we have a unique prayer experience with a unique group of people (some newcomers and…
Has pausing and social distancing awakened in you a call to something more? Are you called to a new way of being? Is there a feeling in your heart that you can’t quiet? In his book of blessings, poet John O’Donohue offers wisdom on crossing “thresholds.” Thresholds are places of transition and change that call…
“To be, or not to be—that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep— No more—and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the…
Dear Prairiewoods Family, Hello and much love to each of you. This is my last blog post as the ecospirituality coordinator at Prairiewoods. I have been thinking about this post all week, and it is hard to find the words for all that I am feeling as I take my leave of Prairiewoods as the…
“Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.” “Sense the deep resonance of your longing. Invite Great Spirit’s longing to ground you in what you are being called to transform in life.” These opening lines of a recent, world-wide meditation dropped me levels deep into meditation while strolling through the woods at Prairiewoods one evening at dusk.…
Nine years ago, my husband and I moved from Chicago to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to be closer to family. Several weeks after we moved here, we went to a popular family-run breakfast restaurant. We waited in line for a table, only to have the four parties behind us get seated while we were ignored. When…