I write (and talk) a lot about embracing beauty in the ordinary. The sacrament of the present moment. But some days, I feel undone by life's unsightliness. The cracks, fault lines and intense suffering takes a toll.I reread Donald Hall's…
During a noon-hour rush on a steamy July day, two men were jockeying their way through the crowd on a New York City avenue. They practically shouted as they tried to hear one other above the din. One man, a…
While a young mother waits at a post-office-counter, her four-year-old daughter occupies herself with the opportunity for self-entertainment, exploring the lobby, looking, prattling, not an item left untouched.The girl finds a penny on the floor. "Look momma," she says proudly,…
A farmer once came to see the Buddha, to seek advice, to get help with his problems. The farmer had many problems, and he told the Buddha, in great detail, all about how they made his life very difficult.The weather…
The first-grade class assignment: to name the seven wonders of the world. Each student compiles a list, and shares their list, aloud, with the class. There is ardent interaction as the students call out entries from their lists: The Pyramids,…
In his book Too Small to Ignore, Wess Stafford (President of Compassion) tells a story from his childhood on the Ivory Coast of Africa. About a village visited by a convoy of French colonial officials for a government survey. Their…
I spent the weekend with a great group of people at Mary and Joseph Retreat Center, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. And my walk each morning to Del Cerro Park overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Well, overlooking the morning fog that covered…
On my walk yesterday, the usual mental litany clattering for attention. Pondering Sabbath Moment topics, unpacking news headlines, wondering about my procrastination with a book project (accompanied by a generous dose of grief).And only one goose at the pond. Very…
My friend Tim Hansel wrote a book on parenting. He asked his young sons, "Boys, how do you know Dad loves you?"He figured that they would say, "Daaaad, remember when you took us to Disneyland, like for 10 days!" They…
I am sitting on my porch, my muscles sore in a good way, and a big smile on my face. And dirt under my fingernails. This week I worked (more like played and dawdled) in my garden. Smiling also as…
