Lift each other up
It wasn’t church, but I sure said Amen a lot.In the Vashon theater, we watched “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” All we were missing was a spirited gospel choir.A dose of Mr. Rogers does my heart good. It is…
The power of enough
Standing in line at our local bank, a friend asks, "Do you have any new books or CDs available?"A teller overhears and says, "You sell CDs? I didn't know you sang.""I don't," I tell her, "it frightens young children.""Then what's…
The gift of mercy
In the living room, Christmas is still in the air. Yes, the Christmas tree is still up, until the 12th day of Christmas, January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. I’m content to live this way until Lent. But something tells me that I…
Gentle hands of grace
We live in a world that needs healing, from gentle hands of grace.Writer Kim Rosen visited a safe house in Kenya for young Masai women who had run away from home to escape genital mutilation. The girls liked to sing, and asked Rosen if she…
The light within me
Waiting is not one of my spiritual gifts. I wish it were easier to wait.And Christmas is the season of Advent, which means, literally, "to wait." Wait implies that we are paying attention, (one would assume), to something. Something specific. Let’s just…
We dance to heal
This week a news story stopped me in my tracks.(Which is hardly abnormal these days.)But this story made me pay attention, inviting questions about what really matters. Let’s be honest, in today’s din, that’s not easy to do. After 30…
Invitation; front row center
One day a very wealthy man took his son on a world-hopping trip visiting "underprivileged" countries, with the firm purpose of showing his son how “poor people” live. On their return from the trip, the father asked, "How was the…
A treasure inside
A beggar sits on a box, just outside the gates of a city. The beggar cannot work and subsists on the charity of passersby. On this day, the beggar receives no handouts. Finally, one person stops, but to the disquiet…
In everyone, a light shines
It is in our DNA to be replenished. Nourished and renewed.I am in the refueling business. But that doesn’t mean it is easy to practice what I preach. Here’s what I do know: When I don’t pay attention to my…
Red cardigan sweaters
Newborn babies dressed in red cardigan sweaters and sneakers. The news photograph on my screen makes me smile big. And I can tell you this; whatever is weighing me down can wait. This keeps my hope alive.Photos can be cathartic.…
