In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or untended in the world…. Do not focus there…. We are needed, that is all we can know. — Clarissa Pinkola Estes. In almost every conversation I hear concern for the world, the climate, and humanity. Ms. Estes tells us to…
Month: January 2019
The Man Watching
A friend sent me the following poem. He is going through a tough time and he found comfort in its words. One might think that this poem is not comforting, especially with the idea that through the simple act of living, we face massive storms. But Rilke tells us to go deeper, he suggests our…
To Be Nobody But Yourself
E.E. Cummings said that “to be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight,” I knew little about the poetry of E. E. Cummings except he didn’t use capital letters. Then a…
I Need Some Rest
I didn’t expect to hear the words, “I need rest,” to come from the pulpit yesterday morning. Turns out our assistant rector was leaving on a three month sabbatical and this would be her last sermon for a while. Everyone in the church was supportive; she had been filling in when the Rector became a…
Tough Love Is A Tough Concept
I have no professional or other credentials to talk about the concept of “tough love.” I’ve not read any books or articles about it, but I have come across a lot of people who claim to have expertise in the area. Why then am I writing about it? The answer is that the concept troubles…