"Even the bird with a broken wing is a prayer." - Ashley Gates Jansen Every oak tree holds within it the acorn, the bud of longing and becoming. And every acorn holds the whisper of the promised oak, grand perennial. But sometimes the acorn does not blossom but…
Holiday music is some of my favorite music. I'm known to listen to Silent Night in the height of summer as well as the depths of winter. And, oh that line in O Holy Night: “and the soul felt its worth.” No matter what spiritual path we travel…
"Pain travels through families until someone is ready to feel it." -Stephi Wagner Editor's note: This essay was written in honor of World Mental Health Day, which takes place on October 10th each year. And today, October 12th, the day when I've finished the…
I wonder: have you ever had the unique privilege of hosting lice in your home? We've hosted these guests twice. Travelers from school lockers, crowded hallways and backpacks, these visitors arrived one spring week with a warning, a note from the school nurse. For weeks we had daily…
'Lacrimae rerum,' according to one of my teachers, was a Latin phrase chanted by monks in the wee hours of the night, when the veils between body and soul are the thinnest. This phrase can be translated as 'the tears of things,' or the 'tears…
This year, amidst the pandemic, we felt moved to dig up much of our wee backyard and plant several garden beds. The last weeks of rain have left the garden lush with growth: this morning I picked several cucumbers, presents tucked in among the mass of leaves and vines. Planting…
Yesterday I drove my son to his last day at the wilderness school he's attended for the last five years. A young man on the cusp of 15, his time at this school - beloved to me - is ending. Over the years, there are so many times…