I write this sitting by the fireplace, savoring the dancing flames. The Advent candles are lit, and Silent Night is playing in the background.A settled stillness. And deep breaths for this gift of enough. Smiling about the magical power of…
Rabbi Albert Lewis tells the story of a man seeking employment on a farm; he hands a letter of recommendation to his new employer that reads simply, "He sleeps in a storm." The farmer is uncertain what to make of…
“Oh the land of the cloudless day,” Willie sings. The music is cranked up, of course, to the level that makes your heart swell. And I smile big, thinking how I prefer my life and my stories that way; with…
A mother begins her weekend breakfast routine, pulling ingredients from the refrigerator. Omelets on the family menu this morning. Before she knows it, her two-year-old daughter has climbed a chair and is now sitting on the kitchen counter."Momma, can I…
On a beach near the ocean, two very young children spend their afternoon enthusiastically building a sandcastle. They work eager, unabashed and wholehearted. Giggles and laughter fill the air. After they finish, they admire their handiwork. Focused, they do not…
A Zen roshi is dying. All of the monks gather—an eagerness restrained—around the deathbed, hoping to be chosen as the next teacher.The roshi asks slowly, “Where is the gardener?”"The gardener," the monks wonder aloud. "He is just a simple man…
“When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable,” Madeleine L'Engle wrote. “But to grow up is to accept vulnerability. To be alive is to be vulnerable.”And there is a…
There’s an old story of a child walking in a forest, surrounded by sun-dappled oak trees. He climbs through the brambles and plays in the fallen leaves, mesmerized by spiderwebs and mossy rocks until the moment he realizes he’s completely…
Happy New Year to all.For many, it is resolution time.But here’s my confession, I’m not a list maker. Well, that’s not technically accurate. I do make lists, but tend to forget where I put them. This is true; I tip…
Do you know the story of Hope in No Man’s Land?The movie does my heart good.The setting is Christmas, 1914. World War I—raging for only four months—had already become one of the bloodiest wars in history. Soldiers on both sides…