Inviting life in
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 native New…
When healing happens
“Can you make room in your Sabbath Moment for those of us along the way in a season of grief?” A reader asked. The answer is yes. For starters, I’m glad she asked. You see, I probably wouldn’t have. When life gets sticky…
Courage to live wholehearted
A rather unsophisticated man endured a medical operation with a 20% chance of survival. When told about his condition and the odds that were against him, he engaged in no calculations and did not consult with another physician. He said simply,…
Stories to heal our hearts
Some stories are like restorative prayers. They invite (no, they require) retelling, for the healing of our spirit and our soul. In the tragic war in Sarajevo, a reporter covering the fighting and violence in the middle of the city,…
Fear is not the final answer
In the documentary "Last Letters Home," Paula Zasadny, mother of 19-year-old Specialist Holly McGeogh (killed by a bomb in Kirkuk), talks about a visit from marines in dress uniform. "It was the lightest tap on my door that I've ever…
A weight is lifted
I love the uplifting story Sue Monk Kidd tells about her grandfather. My grandfather was a lawyer, a judge, and a farmer. He was frequently busy and conquesting, but I remember also that he sometimes entered the golden moments of wu wei. He and I…
The world I want to live in
Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. I know it's true for me. This week, a story from poet Naomi Shihab Nye. Wandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal, after learning my flight had been delayed four…
I want to live deliberately
A small art gallery near Lake Galway in Ireland holds an exhibition with local art. A poet of no small renown drops by to view it. As he finishes his perusing, a local farmer arrives. Once a year, the farmer…
Stand up. Stay Woke.
This past week we remembered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Four years ago I stood in the kitchen of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church Parsonage, the home to Dr. King and his family from 1954 to 1960. By the time the…
Tonic for the soul
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…
