When we moved into our home five years ago, an ancient rhododendron featured prominently at the corner of the house, its gnarled branches hanging ominously over the driveway. Gravity and age tugged at its branches, which scraped the windshield of our cars as we pulled in and out; what pale blooms there were peaked quickly. … Continue reading
lines etched in leathery hide concentric circles of memory & loss, of joy & wisdom radiate outward from eye to cheek to bridge of nose and always tugged back to your downward gaze. as if all your lumbering glory your searching thirst and desperate losses & joyful trumpets could be contained in that one single … Continue reading
This past winter, I led a retreat that considered the gifts of winter. This was held in my community and was a wonderful time of quiet and reflection, fitting the season nicely. But here we are in a different season and I’ve been pondering how the season of springtime points to God and his work … Continue reading
I stand and point down, toward the floor and I breathe. Beginning here, a birth of air and light and I move. The circle widens as I follow the sun clockwise and in harmony. I stumble and pause afraid – to keep moving or to stay still. How will I know? Unbroken, I move again … Continue reading
Now that it’s nearly spring (or mud season, as we call it around here, which may or may not include more snow), I thought I’d come back and finish the list of things that I am learning, which I started midwinter. Thanks, Emily P. Freeman, for the inspiration! 6. In addition to winter being a … Continue reading
As part of an online course with Abbey of the Arts, we were encouraged to take a contemplative walk – a purposefully slow meander, just to notice what we notice around us. I offer here a few photos and reflection from my brief sojourn around the neighborhood.
In a season of fullness, to scale back requires work and faith; freedom to fully see. I wrote this Advent Hiaku last year as part of an online course through Abbey of the Arts. It speaks to me now as much as it did then as I embrace the paradoxes of the season and prepare … Continue reading
Penny, a sweet furball the color of a perfectly baked croissant, is my teacher. Her recent lesson? That my ability to attend to my surroundings, and thus to God, is inversely proportional to how rushed I am. When pressed for time, Penny and I hustle around the small block. This is a focused mission, a … Continue reading
the way leaves danceswaying and sighing melancholythin, spidery and fragilethe way light dancesstreaming and bursting throughholes, cracks and tearsthe way that I lovewobbling and triumphant sometranslucent with effortthe way that you loverising and setting everover, around and through This post is inspired by the WordPress online course, Writing: Finding Everyday Inspiration (Day 4: A Story in a … Continue reading
This spring I decided to begin a practice of bird watching. The spot where I sip my coffee and pray in the morning has an expansive view of the front yard, so I figured I’d start there. I bought a bird feeder and hung it, with great expectation. For a day or two nothing changed … Continue reading
