"Sometimes, Grace throws you and your ‘world’ into the washing machine, full spin, so that the fearful and controlling tendency is compelled to offer itself to the Totality
—to the will and dance of the Cosmos.”

Trump may present a ‘big’ presence in your life but how well do you really know him? When you sit down for a meal, is he there, sitting across from you, day after day? No, I seriously doubt it. Trump is not responsible for how you are living your day, how happy you are, how angry you are, or even how fearful you are. He is not responsible for the headache you have because of the twists and turns of our politics. “Maybe something you considered true is nothing more than someone else’s opinion”. He is not responsible for your inability to reach out and help somebody. Your thoughts are. You are. Examine your thinking and look at how you are contributing to what is negative around you. You have

Today, we're acutely aware of our emotions, and the state of things around us. The most obvious reason has to do with the election of our new President after what has been many tumultuous months. But, I am going to digress and start this conversation around something far less charged and heated and then circle back around. Are you 'game'? Good. So stay open and let's see where we can go with this. Have you ever resolved to go on some kind of diet, determined to lose the last few pounds that you can’t seem to get rid of? (Meanwhile, fresh baked cookies smell like heaven come to earth. And for your family dinner, your favorite pasta is served along with loads of basil, parmesan and toasted ga

This beautiful article by Dr. Omid Safi continues where my thoughts left off and fills in so much more about how we use our time. I'm sure you'll feel as I did, both inspired by it and resolved to use my time more carefully. "I saw a dear friend a few days ago. I stopped by to ask her how she was doing, how her family was. She looked up, voice lowered, and just whimpered: “I’m so busy… I am so busy… have so much going on.” Almost immediately after, I ran into another friend and asked him how he was. Again, same tone, same response: “I’m just so busy… got so much to do.” The tone was exacerbated, tired, even overwhelmed. And it’s not just adults. When we moved to North Carolina about ten year

We have grown so accustomed to moving quickly, to things happening immediately, to rapid transit, to fast food, quick responses... and yet we are not designed for this on a steady, continual basis. So much around us unfolds according to a unique internal timing and it's not for us to speed it up or alter it in any way. Developing a sense of patience, of sitting with things as they transition for 'this' to 'that', would seem to be a very valuable skill to learn in these times. “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” Maya Angelou Painting by Hu Jun Di

Ever find yourself completely irritated by the person you love because they’ve done the same thing for the 100th time and you’re going to pull your hair out if they do it again? Or have you ever expected they'll respond in a certain way only to find they react in a completely different manner to something you said, leaving you shaking your head and saying 'what the f-ck????' and questioning why the hell you said anything to begin with? ..... The feelings of disconnect may not be serious (and here’s hoping they’re not really just the tip of the iceberg) but if clearing away the irritation of the moment doesn’t come easily to you and you find that those moments happen with more and more freque

“Deep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of the other person. You listen with only one purpose, to help him or her to empty his heart. And if you remember that, you are helping him or her to suffer less, and then even if he says things full of wrong perceptions, full of bitterness, you can still continue to listen with compassion. Because you know that listening like that, with compassion, gives him or her the chance to suffer less. If you want to help him or her and want to correct his perception, then you wait for another time. But for the time being, you just listen with compassion and help him or her to suffer less. One hour like that can bring transfo