June 22, 2020 | Tags: collective, collective heroism, hero journey, interdependent, journey, Justice, One Day at a Time
Journey is a word we often use for challenging times when outcomes or even the path toward them is unknown. At its most basic, the dictionary defines it as “an act of traveling from one place to another.” It adds that a journey can also be, “a long and often difficult process of personal change […]
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June 12, 2020 | Tags: Blessing, Commitment, George Floyd, Justice, Social Action, social change
The poet John O’Donohue wrote that “A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal, and strengthen.” He said, “To be in the world is to be distant from the homeland of wholeness. We are confined by limitation and difficulty. When we bless, we are enabled somehow to go beyond […]
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June 1, 2020 | Tags: George Floyd, Justice, Minneapolis, racism
I am afraid of fire. Ever since I fell into a campfire, hands first as a child, I have a fearful memory for the searing pain it causes. Now, following George Floyd’s murder by a white police officer last week, my city is in flames – fires set long ago with the persistent heat and […]
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May 7, 2020 | Tags: Change, not knowing, pandemic, Thresholds, uncertainty
It was easily the widest threshold I have come across in an interior doorway – a beautifully finished piece of Pippy Oak stretching more than half a foot on either side of the door. It was sanded smooth as a riverbed stone and varnished like a sacred text written in the script of the tree’s […]
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April 2, 2020 | Tags: Daily Word; Writing Prompts; Writing as a Spiritual Practice;
Every few days, a new word will be posted at the top of this post as a daily writing prompt. The description of this practice follows the most recent prompt, and previous prompts are listed at the bottom of the description. Clicking on the photo will also link you to a video also describing this […]
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March 29, 2020 | Tags: Adapting, Bridge, Change, community, Connected, COVID-19, Flexibility, Integrity, Right Action, Truth, uncertainty
Overnight, my commute changed. On one river bank, the route 21 bus pulled over and we debarked and boarded a large van that shuttled us across the bridge in smaller numbers. On the other side, we left the van and climbed aboard another 21 bus to continue our way down Lake Street. Decades later, in […]
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March 3, 2020 | Tags: growth, hope, Justice, Resilience, rest, spiritual practice, Trauma
Rhythms of Resilience I’m watching for the first delicate crocuses to break through the hardened crust of the March ground. Yellow, purple and white, their short blooms open like small cups of sunlight. But by night, the delicate blossoms close up, waiting until dawn coaxes them to yawn agape again. Their daily opening and closing […]
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