Letting Go
Death is not a tidy process. I've answered too many 3 am pages from the hospital to know that death does not honor anyone's schedule. Death can arrive under the stark glare of fluorescent lighting and the faint whiff of…
What’s in your Spiritual Toolbox?
When the first signs of green mold emerged on the railing of my deck, I grabbed a scrub bucket and sponge. Two days of scrub, rinse, repeat convinced me there must be a better way. Enter the power washer, my…
More than One Shining Moment
As the big basketball tournament begins, my thoughts turn to legendary basketball coach John Wooden. Wooden loved to quote Abraham Lincoln, who said, “If we magnified our blessings the way we magnify our disappointments, we’d all be a lot happier.”…
Don’t miss the trees
The old canard goes, "Don't miss the forest for the trees", an admonishment to take in the big picture. But don't miss the trees. In our desire to understand the pattern of the big picture, we miss tiny, beautiful things…
This year, I need Advent in my life
Santa and Mrs. Claus showed up at Chick-fil-A two days after Thanksgiving, looking totally relaxed. Perhaps all their holiday cookies are made and in the freezer; presents are wrapped and ready to go. Now their only job is to greet…
Cabin Time
Life at the cabin has a different cadence. We know this, and yet somehow it continues to surprise us. We drive north a few hours for a week away, but ideally, the cabin feels a million miles and a hundred…
Blessed and Blessing: the Stranger among us
In the very first book of the Bible, we discover something essential about hospitality. It’s not optional. When strangers pass by Abraham and Sarah’s dwelling, Abraham quickly provides provisions, food and drink, a place to wash and stay. In Abraham’s…
Honoring the man who created space for ministry
Fr. Tim Power was a Catholic priest and pastor of Pax Christi Catholic Church from 1981-2004. My pastor, to be specific. When friends mentioned that Fr. Tim’s headstone had been placed, I wanted to visit. The timing, Memorial Day weekend,…
Count Your Blessings
This month we are focusing on balance in our lives, especially in the midst of loss. We are looking at four areas of our lives: mind; body; spirit; and social. We’ve asked hundreds of grievers for a personal piece of…
Sweet Memory
Decades ago, I studied in Austria, a young seventeen year old starting college at a foreign University in a language I barely understood. My mom and I both wept at my departure. It was our first significant goodbye, and neither…
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