January’s days are trickling past in a slow but steady stream. Advent, Christmas, and even the day of Epiphany are now over. Nonetheless, I find myself fixating on the Christ candle. Sure, I see it still lit in the wreath…
This past August I begrudgingly became aware of a persistent, annoying lower back pain. It wasn’t until October that I admitted my usual exercises and tricks to alleviate back pain were not working. It was no longer simply an annoyance,…
Recently, I’ve had several conversations with friends who I hadn’t heard from in quite some time. As you would expect, there were all sorts of stories to share. Some started us laughing, some quieted us after a deep sigh. Some…
On Thursday I allowed myself just over an hour and a half to make some Green Tomato Chutney. Two weeks in a row, my Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) farm share included green tomatoes, and while I had been excited to…
Back in college, when I still thought college was the most stressful thing that could happen to me, I developed a pretty workable self-calming practice. When the tension in my shoulders knotted too tight and my heart raced down the…
There were many things I was afraid of before I left for my study abroad semester in Chile back in the fall of 1996. Amidst a whole host of rational and irrational fears, the concern that troubled me most was…
Four months ago, as Michigan was beginning our Stay-at-Home orders, and Italy was in the thick of theirs, my husband showed me a YouTube video clip that has stuck with me. My husband has pretty eclectic musical tastes, and he…
Sometimes I have a hard time knowing how to attend to the largest crisis before me because of any number of tiny crises holding my hand, whispering in my ear, and pulling at my heart’s attention. When the world so…
When the early days of May arrive all bright and tulip-y, or drizzling on the bloom laden trees, or wind swept, or coronavirus-clad, I can’t help but recognize the bold and majestic strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” as my background…
Should I really go for a walk today? Haven’t most of us been told to stay home? And, truth be told, I like to stay home. At first it felt like a kindness to me, to be told to stay…
