Blog: Musings on the Earth, Mindful Living, and our Connections
Bringing Forth Kindness: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
I returned from a 10-day seminar in the wee hours of Monday morning. When I woke later that morning to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I saw volunteer opportunities listed on my phone – how to put King’s vision to work and make this world a place of greater love and kindness. Then on Tuesday morning, I was inspired...
Road Trip!
What a remarkable and extraordinary country we live in. I just came back from a six-day road trip, something I don’t do often. I went to see my daughter at her new home in North Carolina, and decided to stop at my alma mater in Athens, Ohio. I graduated from Ohio University’s dance...
Martin Luther King, Jr: Compassion in Action
This past Sunday I had the privilege of being one of six faith leaders to speak at an interfaith service in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his legacy. The service was held at First United Methodist Church in Ames, Iowa, and was beautifully organized by Rev. Deb Hill-Davis of the Unity Church of Ames, Iowa. The theme was “Compassion in Action.”
In addition to a moving clip of Dr. King imploring us…
Why Give Back?
As this year draws to a close, many contemplate resolutions and plans for the future. Yet in order to successfully move forward, we must first acknowledge where we are at present and what we have accomplished to date. This often cultivates a sense of appreciation in our lives – whether for family or friends, for abundance, for our love of nature, for something unexpectedly good that came our way this year… and this evokes a desire to give back.…
Bringing out the Light
This weekend two world religions will celebrate their holidays at exactly the same time. While Hanukkah is considered a minor festival in the Jewish calendar, and the confluence of its first night with Christmas Eve is unusual at best, the convergence of these two celebrations provides an opportunity included in the mission of both faiths that might be overlooked.
Each of these…
You Are Loved
On Friday I arrived to my part time congregation in Ames, Iowa, in the frigid cold to see chalk paintings on the walks leading up to the country-feeling congregational building. I thought to myself, How lovely. The religious schoolteachers must have brought the children outside to make chalk drawings. I remember that as a child, drawing peace signs was a common pastime.
The next day…
Listening to the Silence
I spent last week in silence. I was at the JMMTT—Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training—a 15-month program that began last May. It is an advanced step from the 18-month Clergy Leadership Program in mindfulness practices that I completed a year ago July.
As I posted on my Facebook page, I celebrated my birthday in silence. That was different. I also observed Election Day in silence. Our retreat guides were sensitive enough to the issues of our country to host an optional “election practice” evening in…
Kindness Shining Through
Throughout this High Holy Day season, I have been thinking about the importance of kindness, and what an important difference it makes. In that spirit I would like to share a (slightly updated) blog post with you that I wrote in February of 2012 for Find Fulfill Flourish, a book I co-authored with Steve Weitzenkorn. May it inspire us to offer kind deeds of our own, with the hope of setting greater kindness in motion in our world.
Last night…