Blog
Alone in the Dark
If you ever found yourself as a child terrified and alone in an unfamiliar dark space… if you were ever lost outdoors on a dark night when the other kids had run off and left you far behind … if your mother died and left you or you were really sick and in quarantine...
Loneliness and Solitude
“Americans are facing an epidemic of loneliness, an “underappreciated public health crisis” that needs to be brought to light, said Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in a statement last week. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, about half of adults in the country reported...
Presence: a Practice and a Gift
What is Presence? If you look up a definition of “presence,” you will find something obvious along the lines of “the state or condition of being present.” And “being present” is “the state of existing or occurring now.” If we are content with that … end of...
What does Home mean to you?
“Home” is such a powerful and evocative word – in the realm of the psyche, and in spirituality and religion as well. Before you read any further, I invite you to sit with this word for a few moments: what memories, feelings, sensations, or images does it evoke...
Life Journeys, outward and inward
“Life is a journey.” A familiar metaphor. Whatever the external features, I see this as essentially a journey of meaning-making. The meanings that we find in life begin with our earliest experiences. Even before we have language, we might say there are implicit...
“Don’t worry – be happy”?
I Worried by Mary Oliver I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers flow in the right direction, will the earth turn as it was taught, and if not how shall I correct it? Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven, can I do better? Will I ever be able to...
Bridging Divides #2: conflicts in spiritual life
As I begin this reflection, I'm aware that I bring with me a basic assumption: our spiritual life is intimately connected with our psychosocial life. Yes, the spiritual dimension extends beyond/deeper than the psychological, but they are often intertwined. (Or as the...
Bridging the Divides: exploring our inner conflicts
Divisions make headlines. Conflicts draw attention. Every now and then bridge-building makes the news, but… not for long. I think many of us realize that whether or not something makes the headlines, we need bridges these days. I have been drawn to the metaphor of...