Wednesday of this week was Ash Wednesday, which means the season of Lent has begun. In many denominations, people go to church and receive a cross of ash on their foreheads. The ashes are made by burning the palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. The pastor who gives the blessing typically says something […]
Read more "Your Personal Wilderness"Already it’s apple season. And that brings lots of things to be thankful for: Apple cider, apple cake, cinnamon apple bread, apple pies. Tart apples, sweet apples, crispy apples, red, green, and gold. Life is good, especially in the fall, isn’t it? The local you-pick apple orchards are now open for business, and farm stores […]
Read more "Apple Season"Do you know that moment in the evening-time, when you finally sit down to rest—maybe on the deck– after picking up sticks and pulling weeds and mowing the grass and fixing supper and cleaning up the dishes? It’s that moment when everything’s done that’s going to get done today. A time when you can relax […]
Read more "Being Content"So who here this morning was glad to see the snow yesterday? Aw, bah humbug! But it was at least beautiful, wasn’t it? There’s something mesmerizing about watching those delicate snowflakes falling slowly toward the ground. It’s like time becomes visible for the slightest moment. And a hush, a stillness, seems to come over everything […]
Read more "Let It Snow!"Last Tuesday night I gave a presentation on the family-centered care at hospice for the folks at the Greenfield Kiwanis Club. The meeting was held in the back of a Ponderosa restaurant and it was just packed in there—there were probably 60 people present. We never did get the technology figured out so the PowerPoint […]
Read more "Confession, Quaker Style"Our thoughts and prayers–for protection, for comfort, for reassurance, for provision–are with the people of Florida today and all those who are concerned about those in the storm’s path. Blessings to all life–human, animal, and planetary. Peace to us all. Once upon a time, there was a moody and difficult prophet named Jonah. His name […]
Read more "Just Like Jonah"First, prayers and thoughts of safety and peace for all beings impacted by Hurricane Harvey. To help, please consider donating to the Red Cross (www.redcross.org), Austin Pets Alive (www.austinpetsalive.org), or the support organization of your choice. August 27, 2017 Did any of you go through your childhood with perpetually scraped knees? I know I did—and […]
Read more "Scraped Knees and Second Chances"