A few years ago, I traveled to Tuscany for a spiritual retreat with a group of fellow writers. As a late addition to the group, I was delighted to discover my friend, Christie Purifoy, was also a Tuscany-bound companion. We knew one another fairly well already, and I looked forward to spending ten days together in a state of Italy-induced…
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Rhythms of Reflection: A guide
Hello, Readers! I’ve created a short (free!) guide for you to enter the New Year at a gentle pace. It’s called Rhythms of Reflection: Simple Questions for Taking Leave of the Old Year and Entering the New. and it’s a gift I hope will serve you well as you begin integrate the past year into the present one. To access…
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Coming Joy: An Advent Reflection
I discovered I was pregnant with my first child under the cool, direct gaze of winter. In the dark hours of a January evening, I ran back and forth upstairs from bathroom to bedroom and back again, until I had used every pregnancy test in the kit I purchased at the drug store. Michael, unaware, lay on the sofa downstairs…
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Hope Made Human: An Advent Reflection
I close my computer with a snap. My inbox is full of deals and manufactured delights. Ads assail me at every turn, and “influencers” flood my feeds with their lists of favorites and affiliate links. I raise my head for the first time in hours, and the room sways momentarily. As my eyes adjust, they fall on plastic bins of…
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A Prayer for Feasting and Gathering
Gracious God, satisfy me with the nourishment of good food and meaningful words to occupy the empty, waiting spaces of body and soul. May my full mouth and satiated body be the embodied expression of my thanks. My spoon and plate and bowl and cup overflow with Your goodness. I sense You at work in the sweet and spice, the…
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