All Shall Be Well

November 22, 2018

A few days ago, I had the great joy not only of visiting the cell of Julian of Norwich in England — but also of sharing this experience with a group of old and new friends.

Julian lived in Norwich, England, from 1341 to 1415. She was a mystic, an author, a healer, a spiritual guide to countless seekers. She was canonized by the Catholic Church, and is now known to many as Saint Julian. Visiting her shrine has become a pilgrimage for those who revere this humble and devout woman.

But that’s not why I wanted to visit.

One Hydrangea at a Time

July 22, 2018

Last week, my friend Karen was looking at my Instagram feed and asked, "What's with all the flowers?"

What IS with all the flowers? I found myself wondering. Surely there are other things that will strike my eye, I thought.

So, for the past seven days, every morning and evening as I walked, I found myself looking for other things to photograph. But all I ended up taking pictures of were flowers.

I had to ask myself why.

Lessons from My Father: Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell About It.

June 17, 2018

When we are little kids, we are drawn to grownups who haven’t lost their capacity for childlike wonder and enthusiasm. That enthusiasm and our desire to connect with it means that what we learn most easily is what our parents are most enthusiastic about — be it fly fishing or football, baking or Broadway shows. Those things we learned from that place of easy joy are the things we will always hold closest to our hearts.

Monster Vitamins: Old Voices or New Choices

April 8, 2018

Studies have shown that 85 - 90% of what we spend our lives fearing NEVER comes to pass.

Let me say that again: The VAST MAJORITY of the things we worry about never transpire.

And yet, we spend inordinate amounts of time worrying about these imaginary disasters. And when we worry, we behave and feel and live like the things we fear ARE going to happen.

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Keeping It Simple

November 10, 2017

Maybe I'm all talked out.

Maybe I am needing to mirror autumn, and just let my leaves fall and my branches go bare for a season.

Maybe it's just too hard to write about joy when I read about so much that is joyless -- worse than joyless, actually. Heartbreaking.

When I Grow Up. . .

July 14, 2017

Joy has no expiry date. Joy never goes out of style. And joy always always connects us to who and what we love. To practice joy is to show up to this life in hope, compassion, connection, possibility, faith and grace. As such, I would like to suggest that joy is not an extracurricular activity but one of life's core curricula. To practice joy is to practice life, to practice love, to practice presence. To grow up to become the selves we dreamed of being when we were little children.

CREATING A DAILY PRACTICE OF JOY

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