"So, was it productive?" was the well-meaning question I heard often when I returned home from a silent retreat last summer. I didn't quite know how to respond. Was being productive the goal? Or was it something quite different?
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What if we were to follow the filter feeding example of the baleen whales and only swallow what nourishes us?
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Words matter. The words we use with one another, with ourselves and with God set the stage for how we might have eyes to see God’s presence right in the midst of our extraordinary ordinary lives. Selecting a “sacred word” as a companion for the year to come has become an increasingly popular tradition as we transition from one calendar year to the next…
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'Tis the season to be... whale watching!?! I got my Christmas gift early this year when we visited family in California last month and went whale watching together. I had previously been whale watching about a decade ago but, after several hours out on the water, we had not seen anything other than waves. So, as you can imagine, I was eagerly awaiting the possibility of seeing actual whales this time around…
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I love the gorgeous gingko tree in our yard! Over the past few days, our beloved tree has begun its annual fall transformation from beautiful green-fan leaves into a luminous golden-yellow orb. Soon, the bright yellow leaves will let go of their safe hold in the branches and gently fall to the ground below…
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During a short, silent retreat this summer, I unwrapped an unexpected gift - the gift of sacred sauntering…
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I was polishing up my "spouting off blog" reflections last Monday afternoon (something about "sacred sauntering," I believe) as I sat by my mother-in-law's bedside while she slept. Up until a few days prior, she had been her usual pleasantly perplexed self. The staff on the memory care unit frequently commented on how much they loved taking care of her because she would ramble, giggle, and smile amiably as she interacted with them.
That Monday night around midnight we got a call from Joan's nurse saying that she seemed to be in some discomfort and that they were going to call hospice to help make her more comfortable…
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Have you ever noticed how auto-correct can sometimes feel prophetic? Often auto-correct suggestions are humorous, like the suggestion that you pick up some bears (rather than bread!) for dinner on the way home! However, sometimes auto-correct opens my eyes to a much needed moment of sacred clarity…
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I took this picture of Lake Erie about a month ago just after the Easter sunrise service as I headed home to prepare for gathering of family and friends. What a beautiful day it was!
Something that I think many people don't realize, however, is that celebration of Easter isn't just a single day. The Christian season of Eastertide is actually 50 days long as we journey from Easter to Pentecost (which is June 5 this year). So it is STILL EASTER!
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Each January for the past 5 years, I have looked forward to what has become one of my favorite spiritual practices - listening for a word that will become my sacred companion in the year to come. In the past, my words have included: "trust in the slow work of God," fallow, dance, still and play. This year, after much prayerful consideration, I have landed on the word "stretch" as my sacred companion…
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