To my Storytelling Fans! I discovered this memory in a storytelling workshop several years ago with Kim Weitkamp. She is masterful in teaching how to find your story ideas, and I love sharing her technique of memory mapping in workshops. In 2013, my audience was Toastmasters so the memory became a speech for a contest. …Read More
Category: Spirit
Winter, time for reflection
Guest Blog Post by Janis McCall: Here in the wilds of Argyll in Scotland, high in the Northern Hemisphere, close to the Arctic Circle, the depths of Winter are very evident. The days grow ever shorter, and darkness is the norm for 18+ hours per day. However, this is not a time of despair but …Read More
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
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 quality …Read More
On Passing a Graveyard
There is beauty in the blessing of the simple everyday things, even on passing a graveyard. In his book, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, John O’Donohue encourages us to slow down and discover the sacred in the everyday. On November 2nd, All Soul’s Day honors the souls of the departed …Read More
Story of Halloween
October 31st is All Hallows’ Eve in some Christian traditions. Today, we shorten the name to Halloween. This begins the 3-day festival of All Hallows’ Tide. What is a Hallow? The word means “holy” as in “hallowed ground” and is another word for Saint (a holy person). Just as Christmas Eve precedes Christmas Day, All …Read More
Wanting Memories
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me to see the beauty in the world through my own eyes. — Ysaye Barnwell, Wanting Memories These haunting lyrics were written by Ysaye Barnwell and originally recorded by the African-American all-women a capella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock. Since then, many groups have recorded the song, including …Read More
NPR Tiny Desk Concert: Cantus
NPR Tiny Desk Concerts brings amazing singers right into your home. Be inspired by music and musicians. These concerts provide a small intimate setting that creates a personal experience. The next best thing to a live concert, NPR Tiny Desk Concerts are recorded live at the desk of the host of NPR’s All Songs Considered. …Read More
The Color Purple
“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.” ― Alice Walker, The Color Purple Gratitude From one of my …Read More