Twenty plus years ago I studied German in college. What I remember was enough to get my family and I safely through a wonderful family trip to Southwest Germany last month, but there were always words here and there to trip me up. One lovely afternoon we were walking around Titisee, a beautiful lakeside town … Continue reading Ruhepark
Spiritual Direction
Before the Storm
About a week ago, people in Savannah, Georgia, where I live, were panicking. Two years in a row we have had hurricanes hit in our area after decades of watching others deal with the effects of these deadly storms. Before Hurricane Matthew in 2016, there was almost a universal belief that something about the Savannah … Continue reading Before the Storm
Embrace the Mountain
Recently I was listening to a webinar on next steps and the leader suggested that we close our eyes and envision the path before us. Now generally I am not a visualization kind of person. I often lead these kinds of exercises because it is so valuable for many people to “see” something in order … Continue reading Embrace the Mountain
Letting Go
As I sat in prayer today, two words arose again and again – a command, in fact, direct from the Divine. “Let go!” So my initial reaction was to hold on even more tightly. Does this ever happen to you? Sometimes it is in my spiritual life, but often it’s just in everyday living – … Continue reading Letting Go
Are you Rootbound?
Mitch Teemly has just published a great blog on being "rootbound" -- strangled by our pasts. He suggests that we can best cut away the roots that bind us with the help of another person -- I immediately thought that's what I do in spiritual direction sometimes. Check out Rootbound And if you're feeling the … Continue reading Are you Rootbound?
Disconnected
By the time you read this, my first-world problems today will have been solved – they’ll have to be because I can’t post this until I have internet. But for some reason the wireless connection at the library where I’m spending the morning is out of commission. I have a video conference tonight and one … Continue reading Disconnected
Block by Block
My husband and son are in the midst of a major renovation project. The Trio blocks from childhood have come out and dinosaurs and farmyards are taking over our living room once again. Fact is, it has been many years since the Trios have been used, but as we seek less screen time and more … Continue reading Block by Block
Ashes
Last night while my husband placed ashes on my forehead and the forehead of our 11-year old son and we contemplated our mortality, I cried. Someone once told my husband when our son was very tiny that it was cute when he placed ashes on his little forehead. My husband realized that they didn’t understand … Continue reading Ashes
By the Numbers
Late last month I went to an Enneagram workshop. The Enneagram is a way of describing basic personality types, based on ancient wisdom, about our motivations and core of our behaviors. When I first saw the chart many years ago, I thought it looked a bit like a pentagram, some spell-casting charm. It’s not, but … Continue reading By the Numbers
Betrayal
I was recently betrayed by some people whom I never would have suspected. Then again, I guess it wouldn’t have been betrayal if I had expected it. It might have been their perfidy, outright maliciousness or unthinking insensitivity. I might have felt hurt, angry or disappointed. But it wouldn’t have been betrayal, except these were … Continue reading Betrayal
Openings: Let the Spirit in 