Dark or light? In the northern hemisphere, we are heading into longer darkness. I keep one of the light machines on my desk for this time of year. I am more of a light gal than one who likes darkness.  Give me sunshine, please, not gloomy days which darken my moods. Yet my small group is reading and really enjoying Barbara Brown Taylor's book Learning to Walk in the Dark.  Her words are showing me new ideas, lessons, and possibilities to darkness. Her writing draws me in and creates a hunger for me for the calm of darkness and the courage to face and explore it more deeply. “When, despite all my best efforts, the lights have gone off in my life (literally or figuratively, take your pick), plunging me into the kind of darkness that turns my knees to water, nonetheless I have not died. The monsters have not dragged me out of bed and taken me back to their lair. The witches have not turned me into a bat. Instead, I have learned things in the dark that I could never have … [Read more...]

How do you prepare your heart for pilgrimage? I leave in a few weeks for a bucket list pilgrimage to Ireland. One-third of the joys of travel is the anticipation of the time away, one-third the actual journey, and one-third reminiscing and beholding the memories after returning home. I want to be fully present and prepared for this special pilgrimage. What is Pilgrimage? A pilgrimage is a journey packed with sacred meaning. More than just travel, pilgrimage is a trip that transforms. I have written before about the spiritual practice of pilgrimage on this blog. If you don't know much about pilgrimage or want to read more check out these posts: Pilgrimage with Prayer The Difference Between a Vacation and a Pilgrimage I treasure how I grow spiritually on those journeys and thought of them once again a few weeks ago while reading the book, The Art of Pilgrimage by Phil Cousineau. Rich with great quotes, it was one of those books I underlined quite a bit. “If we … [Read more...]

I heard the grinding before I knew what was happening. My peaceful morning in my office erupted with noise and flying sawdust. Men next door were cutting down my neighbor's huge tree that long loomed between our two homes. The tree companioned me through all the seasons. As I sat in my glider for my morning time with God, I would watch that tree as I prayed, journaled, sought God. The tree that shaded my backyard and yes, rained down leaves in my garden. The tree that spun gold in fall and gave birth to new life each spring. The tree that housed black squirrels who dance in its limbs. I loved watching its branches wave back to me as we shared years and prayers together. A few springs ago we noticed its twigs were slow to grow new leaves. After a wind storm, big limbs dented the neighbor's car. The tree's fullness waned. Like a receding hairline, more sky peeked through the branches. Even the trunk looked grayer. The tree aged and died this year. Is it silly to … [Read more...]