Getting married?  Conflicts at work?  Tension with a neighbor?

Whether it’s the bedroom, the boardroom, Wall Street or a hungry child in the world, the nature of our relationships is spiritual at its core. Here is some inspired hands-on help, right on time.

Newl… Read full post »

 

The passing of Robin Gibb on May 20, following the death of his twin brother Maurice, tugs at the memory and heartstrings of those of us who recall the era when the brothers became absolute Pop Music Gods. 

Whether or not you were a fan of the Brothers Gibb, their/… Read full post »

  

Hers may not be a household name today, but Americans know the famous poem that Julia Ward Howe wrote at the beginning of the Civil War, when it was thought, after the Battle of Bull Run, that the war would be over in just a few weeks: the powerful anthem, Battle… Read full post »

 

 

Rags make paper

Paper makes money

Money makes banks

Banks make loans

Loans make beggars

Beggars make rags.

                            &nb

… Read full post »

 

It swooped in and landed gracefully in the snow, the very image of resilience: the great American Bald Eagle. I love this bird, with its wing-spread of eight feet and its immeasurable spirit. Usually I stop what I am doing to be present when one comes to visit, the way I… Read full post »

 

We step aside on the sidewalk in the village to let the kindergarten class pass us, two by two.  The Buddy System, I recall with a smile.  

The children stay connected without question, without hesitation, during their daily walk along Main Street.  

“Hol… Read full post »

There are four gospels in the New Testament that tell the story of Jesus' crucifixion, death and resurrection. They each have unique points of view and details - not unlike four people describing a car accident from different angles. And they each have a distinct personality. 

Some peop… Read full post »

St. Francis of Assisi has been the most inspiring role model in my life, and he wore a hoodie. An early design, perhaps, but a hoodie nonetheless. He was a mystic. And a prisoner of war. In today's terms he'd also be called a feminist and an environmentalist.

He walked away from… Read full post »

 

Dudley Moore:
“I’ve always been rich, and I’ve never been happy.”

Liza Minelli:
“I’ve always been poor, and I’ve usually been happy.”

Geraldine Fitzgerald:
“Rubbish! I’ve ALWAYS been rich, and I’ve ALWAYS been happy.&rdqu/… Read full post »

For years I have enjoyed this centering meditation, written by the Egyptian-born philosopher Plotinus in the 3rd century. It is a great way to start the day. These enlightened words, and the images they raise up, center and ground me, body and soul, in time and space.

There is more… Read full post »

In the past eight years, I have lost two brothers to alcoholism. One passed away at age 50, the other at 55.

As kids they were handsome, promising boys. As men, they suffered. They struggled. They raged at the world. They were deeply sad. They isolated. They felt ashamed. They… Read full post »

The vernal equinox arrived at 1:14am today, the earliest spring has come in more than 100 years. We knew that somehow, up here in our corner of New England, where we enjoyed a kinder, gentler experience this season, a kind of 'Winter Lite.' Normally we are knee deep in snow, with lakes… Read full post »

Sometimes, we all need a little perspective. On how we are surrounded by light.  On how shining we are. On how small we are. On how precious life is. On how  great the mystery is. On how little we know! On how nice that can be... On how much we love.  On how… Read full post »

  

One of my favorite films is Field of Dreams, a beautiful, powerful, and mystical exploration of imagination and reconciliation.  Like so many popular and classic films, Field of Dreams retells the core of the spiritual experience through a popular vehicle – in this case… Read full post »

 

 

  

Dear Girl Scouts,

 

Now that my daughter has joined Brownies, we engaged in our first Girl Scouts fundraising effort, the annual cookie drive. Frankly… I am in shock. Sugar shock, to be exact.

 

I am very glad that your positive, worthwhile organizati… Read full post »

“The incision looks beautiful,” my doctor said, two weeks after surgery.  At our previous visit she removed the eleven staples from the six-inch pink line across my lower abdomen. Now she surveyed the body’s swift healing process, another miracle that follows the miracle of bir/… Read full post »

 

We are all in the gutter... but some of us are looking at the stars, wrote  Oscar Wilde. 

More and more I am able to discern that when we are devastated - when we have nowhere else to turn - we begin to look to each other, and,… Read full post »

 

The church confessional was a familiar place to Beatrice – almost comfortable. She had experienced so many days like today, so many Ash Wednesdays and Good Fridays over the years, when she stepped quietly into this small, dark private space to reconcile herself anonymously to God… Read full post »

I did not know fear.

When I was a child and teen, this world was my natural home, the universe my stomping ground. I dreamed without limit, and my dreams caught fire.

As a young adult, I thought I could do anything—and I usually did. I was something nearly/… Read full post »

 

God bless the florists

Who store up hearty blooms through

Winter’s icy sheath 

 

Reminding us that

Life still thrives and grows on earth

Just not in our sight

 

And that our colors will return once more

  Read full post »

 

Try not to be dismayed by the people, places, or things that go against your grain; the parts of life that irritate; the thorn in the side. You know what they are.

The things that get under our skin often have a gift for us.

See the oyster. Sand… Read full post »

 

 

"I don’t want my children to listen to fairy tales,” I’ve heard parents say. “I don’t want my daughter to think that she’s some helpless girl who needs to be rescued by a man.”

Perhaps that is what fairy tales appear to convey. But if w… Read full post »

 

Many's the time I've been mistaken
And many times confused
Yes, and often felt forsaken
And certainly misused
But I'm all right, I'm all right
I'm just weary to my bones
Still, you don't expect to be
Bright and bon vivant
So far away from home, so far away… Read full post »

 

 

Rite Aid, Aisle 3.

I stood there at lunch time, looking over the skin care and lotion products that stretched five shelves high and about a tenth of a mile long. Nivea. Neutrogena. L’Oreal Anti-Aging. What was that ingredient it should have? Retinol?  Anti-wrinkle.../… Read full post »

 

 

Today is both Good Friday and Earth Day, and for weeks writers, pundits and bloggers have been feverishly working sorting out the why's and wherefore's of this timely configuration.

If you Google this topic, you will find an online warehouse of logistical and ethical questions… Read full post »