Marie-Laure Leblanc is the protagonist of Anthony Doerr’s novel All the Light We Can Not See. When the novel opens Marie-Laure is living with her father in Paris toward the beginning of World War II. She is blind and loves to read but she only has one book in braille, not even a whole book. …
I enjoy yoga and have a consistent home yoga practice. The practice of yoga reminds me of the gymnastics training that lies in my personal history. I draw from the foundation of strength and flexibility gymnastics training provided, but I also encounter wounds from that same training. One wound I am consistently aware of is …
When my daughter Molly was in college, she attended a campus ministry event that left a lasting impression upon her. There was a guest speaker at this event, a man who had grown up in Sierra Leone during that country’s civil war. This man’s story was a story of intense experiences of pain, suffering, terror, …
Sometime during my grade school years one of my teachers made a bulletin board that left a lasting impression on me. The title of the bulletin board was Perspective. The board was filled with photographs of ordinary places and ordinary objects shot from unusual points of view. I can still recall my confusion as I …
I have a stack of notecards on my desk. When I am moved by something I read, I will jot down a quote on one of the cards. One of my favorite notecard quotes is a saying from the Jewish Hasidic tradition that reads, Carefully observe the way your heart draws you and choose that …
I am a list-maker. List making is a wonderful tool for efficiency and productivity. My best days are days when my energy and list coincide and I quickly and efficiently complete one task after another, crossing off each item with a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Self-help guides would praise my habit of list making as …
When my son Patrick was three, I was invited to his pre-school for a performance. The children sang songs for the parents and I remember so clearly a sliver of stillness between songs. As one song ended and before another began, Patrick sought me out in the crowd, locked eyes with me, and in a …
Years ago a friend told me that she often pays attention to the way a person walks. She described the way a few of our mutual acquaintances walked and what each person’s pattern of walking revealed. Since then, I too notice the way people walk and even more importantly, I have learned to pay attention …
A few years ago, I was asked to give a reflection for the week of prayer for Christian unity at St. Vincent College. I stood at the podium before I began and looked out at the people gathered there. The crowd consisted of clergy from various Christian denominations, students, monks, lay people, as well as …
Several years ago, my daughter Molly moved back to Pennsylvania after living in California for a number of years. She had a small silver Hyundai Elantra and after packing it with all of her things, there was room for one passenger so I flew across the country to accompany her on the long drive. Wanting …