Rummaging through an old box of family photos, I found this poem, “The Valley Wind,” which had been typed on a slip of paper. First, I thought this beautiful poem had been written by my grandfather, a poet and activist, because many of his writings had been composed on a … Read More
When I was in college, my roommate and I would go to daily Mass. One of my favorite hymns during that time was titled, “Spirit Seeking Light and Beauty.” Its haunting melody and words of longing touched a deep place in my heart. Recently I officiated at a Universalist Unitarian … Read More
With many cloudy days of late where we are, I thought I’d share a bit of my recent talk on the theme of Illumination: The 14th century Sufi poet, Hafiz, confirms the existence of a brilliant light within each of us when he says: I wish I could show you … Read More
Inflation rising, threats to democracy looming, congress bickering, war in Ukraine continuing, COVID mutations concerning, gun massacres spreading, the environment hurting, relative and friends ill or dying. How can the body and mind cope with this increasing cascade of troubles? Here are some practical suggestions I find helpful for remaining … Read More
“One summer afternoon, I dove down to the bottom of a pool, allowing my full attention to rest there. I heard children playing and laughing somewhere above me, but the deep water between us muffled the sound and didn’t disturb my focus. Later I thought what a great metaphor for … Read More
In her book, Falling Open in a World Falling Apart, Amoda Maa writes, “Instead of asking how can I change my life? it’s more helpful to ask what is my deepest longing?” The first question is ego-oriented. Our ego doesn’t like certain difficulties in life and wants to change them … Read More
