Stories and Gratitude
A businessman walks the airport concourse, on his way to baggage claim. His flight is late in arriving, and his mood is melancholy. This is the end of a long business trip; his energy spent and his emotions raw. If…
Let us taste this life
“I hate people. I hate life. I hate the world.” Lucy is apoplectic. “I thought you had inner peace,” Charlie Brown says to her. “I do,” Lucy responds. “But I have a lot of outer obnoxiousness.” Speaking of life’s…
Won’t you be my neighbor?
Friday night I went to church. I usually don’t take Kleenex to church. Turns out I needed it. The congregation of receptive and appreciative islanders gathered at the Vashon Theater. Our opening hymn, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” brought smiles…
For this moment, it is enough
Last week I danced with Manatees. Lord have mercy, it was good. I was in Manasota Key, Florida, my annual gathering with my friends of 35 years. Manatees are unafraid of humans and are curious. They are gentle, docile and…
Invest in this life
Perusing the shelves of one of my favorite independent bookstores some time back, I found a title that gave me pause. "What if I wake up and discover I'm living the wrong life?" (Mercy. This is a good way to throw a…
Savor simple pleasures
GK Chesterton tells the story of a teenage boy granted one wish by a genie. “Do you wish to be huge or tiny?” We are all swayed by the appeal of being big, strong and powerful. So, the boy chose…
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…
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…
Being present and broken eggs
A mother begins her weekend breakfast routine, pulling ingredients from the refrigerator. Omelets on the family menu this morning. Before she knows it, her two-year-old daughter has climbed a chair and is now sitting on the kitchen counter. "Momma, can…
A place that restores us
My grandmother -- Gladys Thelma Andrews... on her porch swing My grandmother--Southern Baptist born and bred--didn't cotton to folks in her church who played the judgmental-eternal-damnation- card just to feel good about themselves, or for the sake of proving a…
