Find the inner strength
Rabbi Albert Lewis tells the story of a man seeking employment on a farm; he hands a letter of recommendation to his new employer that reads simply, "He sleeps in a storm."The farmer is uncertain what to make of the…
This little light of mine
“You guys make me smile,” I tell the sheep this morning. “Thank you. I don’t feel like I need to prove anything. You all are a sanctuary for me.”They give me that look that tells me they have no idea…
Place love at the center
“You look sad.”“I am,” I tell the sheep. “A great man died this week. And I miss him.”“What made him great?” a little one asked.“He made us better people.” I like Andrew Young’s take. John Lewis “didn't convince you by…
Love and stories wouldn’t hurt
“Happy Father’s Day,” I tell the sheep on my walk this morning.“Why do you look tired?” one asks.“I let my spirit get on edge,” I tell them. “There’s so much to do, my world is hungry for people to step…
Carry one another home
On my walk this morning, I stop at the fence. My congregation, the sheep, are reclining contentedly in the grass. “Well,” their look asked me. “Do you have a story this week or not?”“It’s an old story,” I tell them.…
We belong to one another
On my walk this morning, I stop, and stand at the fence. My congregation, the sheep, don’t mind silence, which is nice and different from many churches I have visited. After a while, I tell them, “I need your help.…
Small gestures of grace
Andre Dubus wrote stories about regular people, like bartenders, mechanics, waitresses and the like. In 1986, after publishing several books of short stories, Dubus stopped to help a woman and a man stranded on the side of the highway, and…
Restores my soul
Remember It’s a Wonderful Life? The Senior Angel says, “A man down on Earth needs our help.”And George Bailey’s (Jimmy Stewart) guardian angel Clarence says, “Splendid. Is he sick?”“No, worse,” the Senior Angel says. “He’s discouraged.” Our world is on tilt. I…
To heal the world we touch
“Oh the land of the cloudless day,” Willie sings. The music is cranked up, of course, to the level that makes your heart swell.And I smile big, thinking how I prefer my life and my stories that way; with cloudless…
Glad to be alive
I walk every morning. A few miles. Around Fisher Pond, here on Vashon Island. Not far from my house, I pass my neighbor’s field, home to a flock of sheep.Today, I stopped and talked with them. Two of the mamas…
