In Silence …

Contemplatives and ascetics of every age and every religion have always sought God in the silence and solitude of deserts, forests and mountains. Jesus himself lived for forty days in complete solitude, spending long hours in intimate converse with the Father in the silence of the night. We, too, are called to withdraw into a…

Change is Inevitable …

The word change normally refers to new beginnings. But the mystery of transformation more often happens not when something new begins, but when something old falls apart. The pain of something old falling apart—chaos—invites the soul to listen at a deeper level, and sometimes forces the soul to go to a new place. Most of…

The Buoyancy of Hope (COVID Vaccine) …

May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our ancestors that this endeavor bring healing, for You are the generous healer. Siddur Edot HaMizrach from Assorted Blessings and Prayers (Hebrew Text) A Prayer for Receiving the COVID Vaccine I have been praying for this day and now it is here!With great excitement,…

Earth Teach Me Freedom (Earth Day) …

Earth, teach me freedom   as the eagle which soars in the sky.Earth, teach me regeneration    as the seed which rises in the spring.Earth, teach me to forget myself    as melted snow forgets its life. Earth, teach me to remember kindness   as dry fields weep with rain. — Ute prayer from Earth Blessings:…

Easter Is A Festival Of Human Solidarity …

Human beings are like parts of a body,created from the same essence.When one part is hurt and in pain,the others cannot remain in peace and be quiet.If the misery of others leaves you indifferentand with no feelings of sorrow,You cannot be called a human being.Saadi See no stranger has become a practice that defines my relationships…

The Fertile Soil In Which Something New Can Grow (Easter Meditation) …

It's not only moving that creates new starting points. Sometimes all it takes is a subtle shift in perspective, an opening of the mind, an intentional pause and reset, or a new route to start to see new options and new possibilities.Kristin Armstrong For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to…

There Is A Balm In Gilead …

Blessed are you in whom the light lives, in whom the brightness blazes— your heart a chapel, an altar where in the deepest night can be seen the fire that shines forth in you in unaccountable faith, in stubborn hope, in love that illumines every broken thing it finds.Jan Richardson from Circle of Grace: A…

The Hill We Climb …

When day comes we ask ourselves,Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?The loss we carry,a sea we must wadeWe braved the belly of the beastWe’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peaceAnd the norms and notionsof what just isIsn’t always just-ice.And yet the dawn is oursbefore we knew itSomehow we do itSomehow we weathered…

Prayer for Courage & Compassion (Morning Prayer) …

Abandon the urge to simplify everything, to look for formulas and easyanswers, and begin to think multidimensionally, to glory in the mysteryand paradoxes of life, not to be dismayed by the multitude of causes andconsequences that are inherent in each experience—to appreciate the factthat life is complex. — M. Scott Peck from The Road Less…

Something Infinitely Richer (New Year’s Meditation) …

We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives ... not looking for flaws but for potential.― Ellen Goodman   Interruption Is God’s…