“I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.” —J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King Friday night, I sat with a friend in her driveway, many feet apart from one another, as dusk gave way to night. Around us, her once beautifully wooded neighborhood looked like it had suffered…
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…
“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…
This 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…
Let’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…
Less 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…
I 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…
“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…
Just 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…
“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…