Relentless tenderness
One my walk this morning, there is a slight lifting of the Spring air so I can smell the earth and the blossoms on the wild cherry trees, and I take possession of my life. (A shout out to May…
Hearing the voice of grace
Mary had grown up knowing that she was different from the other kids, and she hated it. Born with a cleft palate, Mary would hear the jokes and tolerate the stares of other children (some cruel, others, simply curious) who…
Permission to not keep score.
Have you ever heard of Buddy Ball? Beth Campbell started the program in 1994, in Bellevue, Washington. Because of his disabilities, Beth's son Stevie, age 7, was unable to play in the regular t-ball program. So, Beth started a baseball…
Awake to the present moment
A business executive wanted to encourage his staff to take more risks; to understand that life at its best or fullest, means not shutting down, or playing to “I can’t, what will they say?” At a staff meeting he passed…
By some miracle of grace
Once upon a time, a little boy loved a stuffed animal whose name was Old Rabbit. It was so old, in fact, that it was really an unstuffed animal; so old that even back then, with the little boy's brain…
Bright shadow to embrace
Stories do my heart good. And sometimes stories are more important than food for nourishment. Because they are reminders of sufficiency, and the sacrament of the present, and help us not give way to any restrictive narrative of fear. Today’s…
Open arms of love
Once upon a time, there was a boy who didn't like himself very much. It was not his fault. He was born with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is something that happens to the brain. It means that you can think but sometimes can't walk,…
How the light gets in
Yesterday, on the 20th anniversary of 9-11, the images seared into our memories are recharged. Front and center.“There is a sacredness in tears,” Washington Irving wrote. “They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently…
The gift of small graces
On my walk this morning, a light rain and cool gray skies. It’s a little early for November weather, but it feels good to put on my Seahawks rain jacket.So. I stand with the geese for a wee bit, and…
I love you as you are
Mohini was a regal white tiger. In the 1960s and 70s, she lived at the National Zoo in Washington DC. Most of those years she lived in the old lion house--a twelve-by-twelve-foot cage with iron bars and a cement floor.…
