“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance, but live right in it, under its roof.” —Barbara Kingsolver This may sound strange, but 2020 has been a year in which…
What are you doing later this afternoon? Around 4:30ish. Would you like to watch the sunset? Wherever you are, let’s look to the west and meet at the evening golden hour. Let’s say shortly after 4 p.m. we’ll settle in and stay until shortly after 5. We could be outside on a hilltop. We could…
As many begin the season of Advent and, together, we rest in our longing to celebrate the Winter Solstice, we pray this blessing encouraging one another to bear the light. Blessed are you who bear the light in unbearable times, who testify to its endurance amid the unendurable, who bear witness to its persistence when…
Emotions are energy, moving in motion through our physical and spiritual bodies. As we learn to work with both positive and negative emotions without grasping to one or the other too firmly, we are aligning our energies to support the emergence of our highest self. So, with sore backs and open hearts, we pray, meditate,…
Dec. 5, the eve of St. Nicholas’ Day, was special in my childhood home. My five siblings and I would be in front of the television set or otherwise engaged in the family room when the door into our kitchen would be thrown open and a shower of candy tossed inside. All six of us…
One of my favorite ways to hold gratitude is by writing it down! I’ve kept a journal since I was a ten-year-old kid, but seven years ago I dedicated one whole journal to gratitude. This was my special “Gratitude Journal,” and I even wrote that intention on the cover page. It has been meaningful to…
Wagging dogs and insightful blogs. Loving mothers and significant others. Bumble bees and willow trees. Fine wine and reading time. Arts and crafts and emotional life rafts. This Thanksgiving, and every day, I am grateful for the big and little things that make up my life. This practice of gratitude was instilled in me at…
In the weeks ahead as we move through the holiday season, “What really matters most?” may be one of the most critical questions we need to pose to ourselves. When we pause and remember what really matters most, we host the potential to re-vision and respond with connection, compassion and love. Sensing the choice and…
If you’re like me, you have that one friend or relative who doesn’t seem to be constrained by what others think, about looking cool or being perfect. They cultivate gratitude and joy and are compassionate with themselves and others. They are truly happy. Dr. Brené Brown calls them “the wholehearted.” She is a researcher, professor,…
“Attention is the beginning of devotion.” ―Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays When I first moved to Minneapolis in 2013, I knew three people in the metropolitan Twin Cities and knew very little of the city I suddenly called home. After a few weeks of feeling alone and overwhelmed, I decided to engage in a project…