After the Christmas meal, the pink candy pig is passed around the dinner table with a bag and a nickel-plated hammer. Each person smashes off a piece of the pig, takes it out of the bag, and shares a story of good fortune from the past year in hopes of prosperity and good luck for …Read More
Month: November 2017
Black Elk Speaks: Vision of Unity
“… I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people …Read More
Six-Word Stories
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” ~ Ernest Hemingway Can you create a story in 6 words? Ernest Hemingway met the challenge with his famous six-word story. Stories can take many forms. Most are more than 6 words. Movies, television, commercials, oral storytelling performance, novels, short stories … What makes a story? The elements of …Read More
Poem: Wolf Path – Animal Medicine
Several years ago, my friend Jamie McCall was working with his “inner wolf.” He felt a calling to Wolf Medicine, as the Native Americans would call it. (For the Native Americans, “Medicine” is anything that heals the body, mind, or spirit. Read my prior blog post on Animal Medicine. Here, the spiritual medicine is wisdom.) …Read More
Grace Before Meals, Grace After Meals
“It would be infinitely lonely to live in a world without blessing. The word blessing evokes a sense of warmth and protection; it suggests that no life is alone or unreachable.” ~John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings When everyday moments are held sacred, there is a stillness that brings a …Read More
Mary Gauthier: “Mercy Now”
“Every single one of us could use some mercy now.” Enjoy the beautiful lyrics of Mary Gauthier’s “Mercy Now”, invoking forgiveness, compassion, grace, and hope for each other … and for ourselves. My friend, Dave Roelant, brings this song into men’s prisons with the transformational work of the Mankind Project. (See recent interview with Dave …Read More
Donald Davis: Tell me a story
“Tell me a story about when you were young.” If you’ve ever asked this question (or been asked), then you know the confused look that can follow. The question is way too general. Unless you have a catalog of stories already in your head, the mind goes blank. No memories are triggered. The secret is …Read More
Poem: I used to be scared
I used to be scared I used to be scared of the dark, and then I found the darkness inside me. I used to be afraid of deep water, and then I found the depth of my own waters. I used to be scared of heights, and then I realized how high I could soar. …Read More
Dreams by Langston Hughes
Dreams ~by Langston Hughes Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
Life, Death, and Health Insurance
When my grandmother came to the United States in the 1940’s to find work, she always bought life insurance. A proud and independent woman, she came to earn money for her struggling family. She would later tell me, “I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone.” When she could afford it, life insurance was …Read More