I recalled a story I’d written that I knew contained insight. It was 2010, and about being stuck, holding on, and letting go – lessons from my birch tree. Continue reading
Tag Archives: prayer
Listen | Transformation Emerges
It was my long week of anniversaries: an adoption date, a wedding anniversary for a marriage that ended in divorce, and the eighth anniversary of my teenage son’s death by suicide. Annually, when this week cycles, I have learned to lean-in and ride the emotional wave, taking care of my tenderized heart. I do not … Continue reading
Inked. Mulligan | God Any Time, Any Place
No juice to write Inked tonight after two full days of work and meetings. Dinner consisted of popcorn cooked in coconut oil (that’s healthy, right?), red wine, and a simple salad of greens and avocado. Then I remembered, there’s this book that really inspired me when former John XXIII students on a retreat planning team … Continue reading
Inked. Day 7 | You are here
It’s late. Driving home from work my cell phone rang, and I spontaneously said yes to an unexpected dinner invite with friends dear and visiting. I did hesitate knowing what I had planned to accomplish at home, but made a choice to turn around and head to their place. I’m so glad. Yet now, the … Continue reading
Inked. Day 6 | Mary Oliver “Tell me, what is it you plan to do…”
Poetry evokes spaciousness in me. In a university writing class, our weekly assignment was to choose a poet (from a provided list) read his or her poems, choose three, and hand write them into a journal in order to hear the cadence and rhythm of the lines. Mary Oliver was my first pick, and her … Continue reading
Über yum: wild Silver salmon
On this 2013 Labor Day when I question my life and my work, pondering Howard Thurman’s words, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it,” I cooked myself dinner. Labor Day weekend: anniversary time. I moved into my home in Alaska six years ago. I was married … Continue reading
Unleash, Let Go
Unleash, Let Go The first half of our life is a journey spent acquiring, and holding on. We long for security, safety, assurances he or she will be faithful, our life will be steady, our purpose fulfilled. In my twenties, when I first intentionally engaged a focused spiritual practice, I learned terms such as detachment, … Continue reading
Sanctuary | Day 37, Savor Life
Today I will savor in my heart … my inner sanctuary is a place of refuge, healing, visioning, belonging. I believe that creating an inner sanctuary, a safe haven, a restorative place, is valuable. I have several “inner sanctuary” places I’ve designed where I use my imagination and senses to create a space that provides … Continue reading
Forgive | Savor Life, Day 31
I remember when I decided I needed to go to confession. It was Lent, springtime 1988. The previous summer, after a twelve year hiatus, I had begun attending the Catholic church of my childhood. I promised myself that before the forty days of Lent concluded I would go to the confessional, speak all my sins … Continue reading
Focus | Savor Life, Day 23
When we live through times of letting go, feeling fractures in body and heart, we expend energy to heal and be made anew. As an athlete requires focus and fuel for his or her body, when we are challenged, feeling vulnerable, or in times of transition, a certain type of energy is necessary. We must … Continue reading
