“I have walked in the hills and forests with this prayer, whispered it into crystal rocks before casting them into wild flowing water. I say it aloud daily at my altar and silently in meditation at the new and full moon cycles.” ~ Janis McCall When the events of the world seem so big, I …Read More
Category: Spirit
May the Road Rise Up to Meet You
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. ~ Irish Blessing, Author Unknown Today’s inspiration is from …Read More
Choctaw Irish Connections, an act of generosity
In 1830, the Indian Removal Act was signed in law by U.S. President Andrew Jackson. This began the Trail of Tears that forced many Native American tribes from their lands. The Choctaw people were the first to be relocated in a process where thousands and thousands would die. Those who survived continued to live in …Read More
Why is that funny?
My friend Celia and I were roaring with laughter. Side-splitting gut-wrenching, every time we locked eyes the laughter started again. Jerry came over and asked, “What’s so funny?” Celia and I looked at each other and laughed even harder. We both knew that if we tried to explain, it wasn’t going to be funny. Her brother had …Read More
Still I Rise ~ Maya Angelou
Still I Rise ~ by Maya Angelou You may write me down in historyWith your bitter, twisted lies,You may trod me in the very dirtBut still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you?Why are you beset with gloom?’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wellsPumping in my living room. Just like moons and …Read More
Black-Eyed Peas, Tradition, and Luck
Recalling his mother’s New Year’s Day black-eyed peas recipe, Michael W. Twitty traces this legume back to the Middle Passage and its roots in Africa, recognizing it as a seed of Black resilience. When my mother was still here in body, she made a small pot of black-eyed peas every New Year’s Day. The pot …Read More
Thanksgiving Day Blessings
God is good.God is great.Let us thank him for our food.Amen. I grew up with this children’s prayer to bless the food that I ate. It’s short and easy to remember. Today, I remember those moments of grace. We joined hands as a family, took a moment out of time to be grateful, and asked …Read More
Can you Exorcise Depression? ~ Andrew Solomon
“Spirits leave me alone to complete the business of my life and know that I’ll never forget you.” Andrew Solomon’s long battle with depression first brought him to traditional Western medicine with medication and counseling. As a writer, this struggle led him to research treatments in other parts of the world. He tells a colorful …Read More
Take Your Medicine Wheel
“You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle. That is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in …Read More
Morning Prayer ~ John O’Donohue
Matins ~Morning Prayer Poem by John O’Donohue 1Somewhere, out at the edges, the nightIs turning and the waves of darknessBegin to brighten the shore of dawn The heavy dark falls back to earthAnd the freed air goes wild with light,The heart fills with fresh, bright breathAnd thoughts stir to give birth to color. 2I arise …Read More