I arrived to my #zenhouseinthewoods after a long work day [story:another time]. Singing along to Lifehouse on the 12+ mile AK907 drive home, anticipation is to enliven my blog [it’s been a long while] and write about what a special young lady is evoking in me. Home arrival, take care…
“Doing nothing is sometimes doing something,” wrote Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. “To meditate is not to run away from life but to take the time to look deeply into ourselves or into a situation. Meditation is an opportunity to take care of our body or mind. That is…
March 5, 2014, Ash Wednesday I did not go to Mass today. I wanted too–it’s been awhile. Recalling decades back, 1987 perhaps. That’s 27 years ago. That Lent I returned to communion. Faced myself full-on in the mirror. Maybe it was a year before, or later, God knows. Time is…
“Today, take a bubble bath,” instructed Paula D’Arcy, the retreat facilitator. Seventeen of us sat circled in dynamic stillness. Morning light breezed through windows, dancing upon the hardwood floor. Vivid pink protea flowers and scattered plumeria blossoms brought elegant island artistry and focus. In a yurt, I gazed at my…
The first half of our life is a journey spent acquiring, and holding on. We long for security, safety, assurances he or she will be faithful, our life will be steady, our purpose fulfilled. In my twenties, when I first intentionally engaged a focused spiritual practice, I learned terms such…
For the next forty days I promise to do my best to post a daily meditation for the purpose of pause and ponder, meaning and significance, and becoming brave, more authentic, compassionate, and wildly human. Fat Tuesday, 2013 I believe Lent, which means spring, is a time to deepen our…
Become Available My smartphone chimed, indicating a new text message. I read four words, “How was your day?” Pausing, the simple sentence evoked a multitude of emotions, sensations, and thoughts. I stood still, surprised. Primary was the realization that it has been a very long time since I’d been the…
Cultivate Spiritual Awareness Mentors teach and guide us. I know this to be true: when the student is ready, the teacher will come. Perhaps you do too. Who are the important people who have arrived in your life at distinctive times and places? At this time—are you seeking to learn,…
I wonder what Jesus experienced when he died, and then showed back up, on earth, alive. I wonder about his graciousness in allowing people to recognize him in their own timing. He shows up, again, again, again. I wonder what it is inside of me, and you, that offers us…
Visiting friends on Friday night, the nearly full moon hovered in a pink tinged sky, rising over iced, frozen chunks of the Kenai River, Alaska. In contrast, Saturday night was already shadowless dark as I waited for the Super moon to shine. I gasped when the entire horizon of Kenai…