Apr 204 minThe Thing with FeathersAfter all these years I'm still amazed when those minuscule seeds grow into plants hundreds of times bigger than their infant selves.
Feb 171 minWhere You're Bravely Working: Grief & HopeTwo poems about loss & hope--one from a grand river, and one from a small creek in the wilderness.
Jan 275 minBeloved Small GiantHe touched the lives of millions around the world, faithfully scattering seeds of peace, compassion, mindfulness, non-violence, humor & joy.
Nov 24, 20213 minA Serving of Criticism? Or Kindness?A few months ago I had a dream about my dad, who died in 2007. He was talking on the phone with two rather verbally abusive people...
Oct 13, 20214 minSmall Mercies: The Best Nurse EverDon't discount those small kindnesses you offer to others. Tiny things can matter as much as big.
Sep 1, 20213 minTo Love What Death Can Touch A fearful thing to love, to hope, to dream, to be–to be, And oh, to lose. A thing for fools, this, And a holy thing, a holy thing to love.
Aug 11, 20214 minCome to the edge...and...No one could discern the roots of that terror. It was strangely elusive, perhaps from a time or place where there were no words.
Jun 23, 20212 minDis-armed I didn't feel good there, but sometimes I felt a little less bad. A tiny shift, but it was a start.
May 12, 20215 minBeating the Bully at His Own Game: A Waking DreamI know what it's like to be bullied--there's fear, humiliation and frustration as someone bigger & stronger taunts & threatens you.
Apr 14, 20214 minYou Listen and You Tell and You Become"If stories come to you, care for them....learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food."
Mar 31, 20214 minHow We've Stayed Married, Part 3: Accepting OthernessOtherness is an odd--and cosmic--corollary to oneness. Otherness in a relationship can take many forms. There are big differences like...
Mar 24, 20215 minA Storm-Cat, Two Heroes and a Village Full of Light"Her purring rose like a hymn to home above the noise of the Great Storm-Cat. Such music had not reached his ears since the dawn of time."
Mar 17, 20213 minWe're Gonna Have Fun, I Know We Will: The Arbor Hill ABCsA lighthearted song...I hope it brightens up your day, bringing back some good memories--your own or maybe your kids' or grandkids'.
Mar 10, 20214 minA Strange MirrorThis strange mirror, this odd form of grace, though uncomfortable, has on occasion helped me see myself a lot more clearly.
Mar 3, 20215 minA Few (More) Ideas from an Inveterate JournalerMy first discovery of the use of dialog in journaling was back in the mid-1980s, not long after I moved to Charlottesville.
Feb 17, 20213 minMindfulness and the Prodigal Yo-yoI focus on my breath. I get distracted. Oops. Okay. And again. So many times that I feel like one of those toys on a string...
Jan 27, 20213 minBeing. Breathing. Being Breathed.An absurd fantasy--I mentally roll my eyes when I read it. Yet when I decided to write about mindfulness this week that essay came to mind.
Jan 13, 20214 minSmall Seeds of Hope: Inverted and Everted PainI'm sorry he is in such pain. It is not a fun place to be. But with great power comes great responsibility. And if that power is abused...
Dec 9, 20204 minIn Order to Grow—Pruning Off a Major Branch"Looks like we just gave ZZ Top a shave & crewcut!" said Celia. We looked at the huge and tangled heaps of grape vines we'd just pruned off.
Dec 2, 20204 minSmall Seeds of Hope: Spacing Material, Mortar and Dark MatterAnti-Anxiety Tool of the Week: Jiggling This is one of my favorite ways to reduce stress. Just jiggle your entire body, gently but...