Give me a well-trained tongue that has been born out of silent listening in the sanctuary of my heart. May my words become love in the lives of others. ~Macrina Wiederkehr I whisper this aspiration to myself when I’m preparing to speak to a group, or about to have what might be a challenging conversation. […]
Speaking the Blessing Read More »
Before enlightenment chop wood carry water. After enlightenment chop wood carry water. ~Zen saying Reflecting the wisdom of this saying, Jack Kornfield titled one of his books “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry.” The point of both the saying and the title is that we might have peak mystical experiences of awakening, but then it’s time
The Ecstasy Is IN the Laundry Read More »
Most of us have heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. After today, I’m pretty sure that all of us need a village, maybe not to raise each other, but to care for each other. The beginning of this story is that my zippered wallet containing my money, credit cards,
We All Need a Village Read More »
Last week, I got a brutal stomach bug. The symptoms were intense but lasted only an afternoon and evening. However, it wiped me out so thoroughly that for the next three days all I could do was lie in bed eating ice chips. Even after I was sort of upright again, doing the simplest things
Doing Nothing in the Right Way Read More »
When my phone rang this morning, the caller ID showed my daughter’s name. I answered with a “Good morning, sweetie.” But the caller was my 7 year old grandson, who exclaimed, “Nana, how did you know it was me?!” “I just knew,” I fibbed.Even though my usual nickname for him is Honey Bunny, he responded to the
When I moved to Portland, my son was just shy of his fourth birthday. It was a sudden move, necessary for many reasons. We arrived without much advance planning, and we were both disoriented and reeling. I rented a room in an extended stay hotel, and started to get my bearings. My son has autism,
My grandson has been having a little trouble acting up at school – talking in class, not listening to the teacher, not focusing on his work. Last week I was chatting with him about his behavior. He came up with his own plan for trying to do better. When I asked him how we could
Feed Me and Love Me Read More »
When my daughter was little she would put a pink T-shirt on her head and pretend it was long hair. She would stand in front of the mirror swishing it around and styling it. Yes, that child could braid a T-shirt. And make it into a ponytail or a bun. One day we were getting
Why Am I Talking? So much of the news today seems to be about what someone said on social media. Or what someone said in an interview or on the phone or in a meeting or on a blog or in a hotel room or inadvertently in front of a hot mic. Then other people
This short chapter highlights a theme that runs through the Tao Te Ching. What is most softOvercomes what is most hard Two characters are used for “overcome,” literally meaning to gallop on horseback. Having grown up riding horses, I have wonderful memories of galloping bareback across meadows, hands entwined in flowing mane, hanging on as
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 43 Read More »
In the Bible, Jesus and his followers encountered the funeral procession of a widow’s only son. Jesus had compassion for her and told her son to rise. The dead boy came back to life and was returned to his mother. The story is told in Buddhism of a mother who brought the body of her dead
Two Stories of Healing Read More »
My son James is autistic. For those familiar with the spectrum, he would probably fall somewhere at the very low end of high functioning. Several years ago, I had a conversation with him about his adult life. I was trying to ask in a sensitive, diplomatic way how he felt about not being able to
I Just Like To Do Things My Own Way Read More »
That’s what someone said to me recently after I had offered some advice that turned out to be not very helpful. At the time I offered it, I was quite sure it was very helpful, confident that I knew exactly what the person I was giving it to needed to do. But much to my
I Know You Meant Well… Read More »