RSS FEEDIslam, toward understanding
Of the major Semitic religions, many westerners no doubt know the least about Islam, which, in fact, comprises some 20% of the world’s population. Unfortunately too few people actually know the connections between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This gulf of ignorance has led to a great deal of prejudice and stereotypes. For example, many people […]
American Independence and Religious Tolerance
On this July 4th day of celebration, I meditate on the importance of the separation of church and state, and how essential it is to our democracy, and on what it takes to achieve and maintain these freedoms: In 1820 James Madison wrote: “…Among the features peculiar to the political system of the United States, […]
Again, and yet again
Like the storm troopers in the movie Star Wars, they were in the multitudes and they were marching out in all directions, much to my horror. I stood in shock, watching them, as they moved. Squash beetles. Overnight they had taken the life from every beautiful green squash plant that I had so carefully planted, […]
Our grandmothers
I received this on email, and because it has long been important to me, I post it here that we may all (women and men) remember that our freedoms, including the freedom of religion, may never be taken for granted, and that prejudiced or biased groups always exist. Here is the email being circulated […]
Creative Recovery
When hurricane Ike ripped through Galveston, it killed more than 40,000 trees, including the magnificent stately old oaks on the main boulevard. As those of us who love Galveston grieved this loss and the recovery got underway, the city was finally able to pay contractors to cut and remove the dead trees, leaving all those […]
Mother-Daughters
On this day set aside to honor mothers, I want to add my gratitude and congratulations to all those who Mother the world…not only their biological children. Mothering is an incredible skill, one that requires, I think, every positive attribute one can dream up: not only creativity, but also patience, foresight, courage, stamina, a willingness […]
David Weber’s Wise Words
This message was forwarded to me by Carol Henderson in Fort Worth. David Weber is a minister in Jacksboro, Tx. I have shortened it slightly (forgive me David) but I think you will find it to be very worthy of your time to read. I am old enough to remember, as an eighth grader, being […]
Another simple miracle
I did not plan for it to happen. I hadn’t even thought about it, ever. I was simply out for my morning prayer walk: “Good morning, Father Sun, thank you for another day of life. Good morning, Auntie Moon, thank you for another night of peace. Good morning, Mother Earth, thank you for your beauty […]
Worthy words
My reading this morning of an essay by Alan Trachtenberg about the poetry of Hart Crane unearthed these two lines that so wonderfully encompass in my view a worthy spiritual practice: “…not to escape time but to find timeless fulfillment in it.” and further “…a struggle to free the transcendent without losing the immediate world.”
Centering in a Time of Stress
I was asked recently to post here something I presented years ago to a group in San Diego, and I am happy to do so, at least an excerpt from it. It was a talk concerning “Centering in a Time of Stress.” In that presentation, I first briefly discussed the level of stress my family […]
