I keep my favorite Merton quote on my desk so that I read it every day. Just go on walks, live in peace, let change come quietly and invisibly on the inside. Thomas Merton This quote reminds me that living a spiritual life is less about my efforts and more about letting God work in …
Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. Did you ever learn this song about Zacchaeus? I remember learning it as a child when I attended vacation bible school in the summer. This song comes to …
In preparing for a presentation, I looked online for images of the prophetess Anna (Lk 2:36-38). The image I chose to use featured an old, somewhat plump woman, with a brown blanket wrapped around her head. She is sitting near a window that lets in a small amount of light. Her concentration is directed to …
I remember a class discussion in graduate school about the nature of God. The discussion became uncomfortable and heated as people increasingly became more intent on expressing their opinions (which they thought were factually true) than on listening to what others were trying to say. I was caught up in this discussion and trying to …
Last winter my ninety-one-year-old mother had a series of mini strokes resulting in a hospital stay followed by weeks in a nursing home. The strokes affected my mother’s physical and cognitive health enough that it seemed likely that her living situation would have to change. My brother and I met with her team of care …
It is the time of year when darkness comes early and stays longer. I hear many people complaining about this time of year. The darkness, the cold, and the dangerous roads impose limitations on our time outside and our time together. I can appreciate these complaints and there are seasons of life that make this …
There is a field I pass on my way to work. It changes season to season but always captures my interest and imagination. It is spring right now and the field is packed full of beautiful, vivid yellow flowers. Passing this field literally takes my breath away and makes my heart begin to beat faster. …
I can still remember a bar routine I did in a gymnastics practice over forty years ago. I don’t simply recall the skills I did, I remember the way it felt, like I was flying, soaring. My timing was perfect. I could pause in all the right places. It felt light, free, and easy. My …
Sometimes I get stuck on a Psalm. I spend the first hour of my day in prayer and spiritual reading. I’ve tried different approaches to this time. I’ve tried following the monastic schedule of prayers for each day. I’ve tried praying one Psalm per day, faithfully working my way through the Psalter, one prayer after …
When I was five or six years old, I had a neighbor named Mrs. Wonders who lived across the street from me. Mrs. Wonders, who was in her sixties at the time, invited me to visit her any day, any time. She kept a candy dish on the end table closest to the door and …