... is the perfect time to rest. Time to read a novel that demands our full attention. Time to follow the lead of mother nature, to bury ourselves under the thickest of blankets, to hunker down, as my mom likes to say; a hibernation of sorts. Time to linger long around the dinner table, candles […]

We changed the clocks this weekend; fell back. It is dark by 5 PM. And so, we have a decision to make, don't we?* Do we rail against the early dark? Or, do we settle in to a new season? I am gonna' choose the latter. I love the dark, the neighborhood quiet, house lights […]

So much of life is spent trying to gain acceptance from others - our parents, friends, colleagues, children, even strangers. We all want to be seen, known, and accepted, flaws and all. Too often, acceptance feels elusive. And so we try to achieve it. We fit ourselves into molds that will gain acceptance from one […]

It is dark outside and I am awake ... too early. This is happening more and more and I have decided to relax into it rather than wishing it were different. There is a sacred hush at 4:30 in the morn, the only sound the shuddery breath of our old chocolate lab, Stella. I re-heat […]

I can't close the cover on Ronald Rolheiser's The Shattered Lantern without sharing one last idea. I remember reading this almost 20 years ago when I was in my late 30s and desperately trying to find a sense of myself in this world. I felt responsible to prove myself, to show the world that my […]

It is enough to be, in an ordinary human mode, with one's hunger and sleep, one's cold and warmth, rising and going to bed. Putting on one's blankets and taking them off, making coffee and then drinking it. Defrosting the refrigerator, reading, meditating, working, praying. I live as my fathers have lived on this earth, […]