When my daughter was young, she had a ruthless Eastern European piano teacher. Ruthless. My girl was learning to overcome some shyness and self-consciousness, and we had hoped learning to play the piano would instill confidence. Not with this instructor, though. Our daughter practiced and practiced, playing the same song over and over again until […]

One of my favorite writers, David Benner, states that much of our lives are made up of "little deaths and little resurrections," following the pattern of Jesus. Simply put: things end, dreams die, seasons transition, egos are bruised. And, when surrendered to, these little deaths often bring little resurrections: new life emerges, a new dream […]

As I enjoy my final months of being 59, I resonate with this writing: "The human soul is like a fine wine that needs to ferment in various barrels as it ages and mellows. The wisdom for this is written everywhere, in nature, in scripture, in spiritual traditions, and in what is best in human […]

"... and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine." (Mary Oliver, "When I Am Among the Trees") Photo by Darren Bockman on Unsplash

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” (St. Catherine of Sienna)

I love the newsletter The Marginalian by Maria Popova. It's brilliant and so well curated it is almost as if you read an entire life-altering book (or two!) when you immerse yourself in her musings. She wrote this recently and I cannot stop thinking about it: "You are the only custodian of your own integrity […]