The gift of a soft heart
I have a soft heart. And too often, I’m afraid to say so.Forgetting that “Tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women.” As Pope Francis reminded us. And I take a deep breath and…
Daily Dose (Aug 22 – 25)
Tuesday -- "We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight,” is our reminder this week, from Poet Jack Gilbert.The gift in our story yesterday, the delighted child in the Post Office, waiting for her Mamma, savoring…
The gift of tiny miracles
While a young mother waits at a post-office-counter, her four-year-old daughter occupies herself with the opportunity for self-entertainment, exploring the lobby, looking, prattling, not an item left untouched.The girl finds a penny on the floor. "Look momma," she says proudly,…
Daily Dose (Aug 14 – 17)
Tuesday -- I’ve been asked, too often in my life, what I believe. My favorite variation, is any inquiry about my doctrinal statement. This begins a volley of theological catch phrases, which become de facto passwords for many religious organizations.…
Wild and precious life
A farmer once came to see the Buddha, to seek advice, to get help with his problems. The farmer had many problems, and he told the Buddha, in great detail, all about how they made his life very difficult.The weather…
Daily Dose (Aug 8 – 11)
Tuesday -- This week, E.B. White’s wonderful reminder, "Every morning I awake torn between a desire to save the world and to savor it. This makes it hard to plan the day. But if we forget to savor the world,…
Seven wonders of the world
The first-grade class assignment: to name the seven wonders of the world. Each student compiles a list, and shares their list, aloud, with the class. There is ardent interaction as the students call out entries from their lists: The Pyramids,…
Daily Dose (Aug 1 – 4)
Tuesday -- This week, our reminder is from the tribal chief’s talk with the children about the colonial officials who visited them. “They miss so much of the joy of today all around them... They miss much of the present…
Born to Savor Life
In his book Too Small to Ignore, Wess Stafford (President of Compassion) tells a story from his childhood on the Ivory Coast of Africa. About a village visited by a convoy of French colonial officials for a government survey. Their…
Daily Dose (July 25 – 28)
Tuesday -- Not that long ago, I danced with manatees. Lord have mercy, it was good.I was in Manasota Key, Florida, my annual May gathering with my friends of forty years. We swap stories and talk about the way the…