Graciousness is real
“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe…
Daily Dose (August 26 – 29)
TUESDAY AUGUST 26 -- “Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.”Thank you, Rabbi Abraham Heschel.And Mary Oliver’s reminder,“it is a serious thingjust to be aliveon this fresh morningin the broken world”So. What if embracing the temporal…
The Permission to See
"The barracks were full of them. The image was repeated over and over again. Butterflies. They were everywhere I looked. Some were crude. Others were quite detailed." In 1946 Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross visited the Maidenek concentration camp. The children's barracks…
Daily Dose (August 19 – 22)
TUESDAY AUGUST 19 -- Stories take care of us. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. That is why we put these stories in each other's memories. (Thank you, Barry Lopez.)And yet. There are some…
Our reservoir of Grace
In the emergency room, Benny's face is black and blue, caked in dried blood, his eyes pinched shut, his lips swollen and bleeding. In the middle of the night, two men had broken into Benny's home, beaten him severely, and…
Daily Dose (August 12 – 15)
TUESDAY AUGUST 12 -- “Creation of art and music is cathartic and reinvigorating. It can inspire action, collaboration and resistance… Music eases our minds during difficult times in our lives. It reminds us that we are a community. We are…
Hear your own music
On Saturday, I relished a restorative-reset-button day. I wandered streets in Port Townsend, WA—vibrant and gladdened by the outdoor markets. Urban Craft Uprising—all local artisans with handmade crafts, wood, clay, glass, jewelry, fabric, painting. And yes, food. And music. All…
Daily Dose (August 5 – 8)
TUESDAY AUGUST 5 -- More than ever, I’m drawn to stories of everyday heroes, ambassadors for our collective soul. These stories are indispensable for wellbeing and an antidote to despair.Some stories are good for whatever ails us.The husband knew he…
I choose compassion
In our world today—the news, the distractions, and the disasters—can feel like “bombs” that overwhelm our spirit, and our energy. For many, a sadness permeates. It is no surprise many feel exhausted, or smothered, or speechless, or disorientated. Or lost.And…
Daily Dose (July 29 – Aug 1)
TUESDAY JULY 29 -- I can still hear Mr. Rogers’ voice, as if he were speaking directly to me through the TV screen, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would…