While spiritual writer and priest Henri Nouwen was writing a journal during the last year of his life, he read a book by Mark Epstein called Thoughts without a Thinker: Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective. This book describes a concept drawn from Tibetan cosmology, the concept of hungry ghosts. Hungry ghosts are described as phantom-like …
It is early summer as I am writing this. I have finished teaching for the year, completed a few other work-related obligations, and my time feels spacious and free. Most days in the summer I come into the office and work. I am not obligated to do any work, and because I am free to …
One of my closest friends, Cathy, had an unusual childhood. Her mother abandoned her when she was an infant, and she was raised by their grandmother in Ligonier while her father stayed in Pittsburgh. Cathy and I have children of similar ages. Our friendship was formed around our children and we shared many amazingly fun, …
Last week my alarm woke me from a deep dream-filled sleep. As I slowly came to consciousness, I had the feeling of traveling toward the external sound of my alarm through many hidden inner layers of light, dark, silence, and imagination. I was reminded at the start of my day how deep, complex, and unexplored …
We all know the healing power of wide open spaces. It is why we are drawn to sit near the ocean, hike to the top of a mountain, or find a quiet dark place to contemplate a stary night. In these wide open exterior spaces, we find our interior world shifting from the constrictive concerns …
My youngest granddaughter, Evangeline, was recently baptized. It was a beautiful event filled with love, family, and delicious cake of course. The music selection for the celebration of Evangeline’s baptism was excellent. I ended up beside my son, Patrick, as we sang the closing number. Patrick has a demanding career and a growing family and …
Amy Tan, author of many wonderful novels including The Kitchen God’s Wife, has written an unexpected bestseller, The Backyard Bird Chronicles. This book is not a novel but contains her drawings of backyard birds, descriptions of their activities, and her thoughts about the birds she encounters. She is not a bird expert, but an observer …
I recently met with a friend I had not seen for many years. In the years we have been apart, my friend has experienced heartbreaking tragedy. When we finally had the chance to get together, the first thing I noticed about her was her gentleness. She is one of the gentlest people I know and …
As a Cistercian monk, Thomas Merton kept a daily schedule that differed significantly from ours. He went to bed around seven and began his day with prayer at 2:30 in the morning. He stayed up through the darkness, praying and reading until he witnessed the sunrise. Though I have never tried to live this way, …
In the first few chapters of Luke’s gospel, we are given a glimpse of the beauty of hidden life. We see Zechariah and Elizabeth’s quiet devotion to God through years of infertility and political oppression, Mary’s young, small life visited by the angel Gabriel, the private joyful meeting of Mary and Elizabeth, the hidden movement …