Someone asked me once whether I searched for concrete knowledge of God. My response was that I preferred the experience of Mystery. Enticing, both subtle and flamboyant—in tolerable proportion, and always just that far away…until becoming part of its fullness. And, somehow, I don’t think we need to die to become enfolded in its expanse—we…
Tag: wonder
Until Quiet: A Poem
Until Quiet With you at the tip of my pen, I wroteuntil words found their branches, tucked infeathers, and nesting lightly, breathed inthe incense of lilac and pine,rose, earth, and cedar; until stillness,revealing its canopy, drew me intoall of its dimensions, offered meits hand to enter the depths of its colour-stained span of mystery; until…
I Believe
The other day I was on a Zoom call and the subjects of Relative and Essential truth came up in the course of discussion. That got me considering how long it had been since writing something that approached a personal creed…that included my take on elements of more formal creeds and also things more personal…
From Above and From the Journal
From the journal… Went up to the balcony as I had wanted to… The time of day was perfect, and the day itself—still full of light even at the sighing time when sun prepares to exchange the vigil with moon. First thing I noticed was the temperature shift when walking through the doors—so sudden. Where…
On Prayer
Homily @Saint Andrew’s 18 February, 2024 OPEN: I had a recent conversation with a friend who was going to attend a conference on Artificial Intelligence. She had been asked to open the conference with a prayer and decided she’d ask ChatGPT to write it. I was so curious about the result! I asked her to…
Right book, right moment
As a librarian—and now as an occasional bookseller, I have said to the people who approached me with frustration at not liking the book they recently read— Before you dismiss it entirely, consider that it might not be about the book…it might be about the moment. Keep your mind, eyes, instinct, open for the book…
The Assignment
The assignment was to fall in love. The details were up to you. -Louise Glück- This was a recent contribution to the near daily morning message exchange with a friend. Our on-line conversation began during the Pandemic and we have kept it up…sometimes a photo, sometimes a song, often a snippet of a work or…
A Tendency toward Awe
A tendency toward awe. It is something I have known since childhood—and something I shared aloud before I had full grasp of both recording it on a page and how to moderate my offerings. My father regularly enjoyed recalling a family trip from Ohio to North Carolina where, apparently, I chattered nearly non-stop about everything…
Zanahoria means Carrot
One might reasonably wonder about the origin story here… I was making dinner last night and helping someone with English at the same time. She asked what we were having… I replied “Something different! We’re having ‘picnic.’ ” Brats, cole slaw, potato chips, and as a nod to the falling snow, roasted carrots instead of…
Consider the Lilies 