We Are All in This Together

All that you behold, that which comprises both God
and man is one – we are all parts of one great body.

                                               – Seneca     

Wednesday evening I took my nightly walk in search of stillness and a conversation.  The images of the day kept coming into my mind and I found it difficult to listen to anything but the anger I was feeling.  How could they?  What were they thinking?  How could he stand in front of that mob and encourage them to storm our Capitol? 

What Have We Learned???

“The struggle of life is one of our greatest blessings. 
 It teaches us that although the world is full of suffering,
 it is also full of the overcoming of it.

                                                                                                                     —Helen Keller

On the 3rd or 4th Sunday in January our Church conducts its Annual Meeting.  Like many other religious organizations, we use this time to review our finances, pass a  budget, elect new members to our Vestry, and provide the congregation with an update on what was accomplished during the past year. 

Sow, Nurture and Celebrate

“Who is there that would wish to be surrounded
by all the riches in the world and enjoy every
abundance in life, and yet not love or be loved?”

At 9:15 on Christmas Eve I left that house and made my way to Church.  The roads were empty and I could feel the wind grip the car as I watched sheets of driving rain reflect in my lights.   I crossed the bridge leading to downtown to find brightly decorated and deserted streets. 

Hope in a Jar

May the gifts of love, happiness, peace and warmth
be yours this holiday season,
and into the year to come.

For the past few days I’ve been struggling with what to write.  With all the challenges we’ve faced this year, I wanted my message to be meaningful, touching and inspiring.  At one point I considered re-sharing a post from two years ago (The Golden Wrapping Paper), but my wife said, “You can do better than that!”  She was right!

The Sounds of Silence

“Silence is not empty,
It is full of answers”

For the past few weeks I’ve been taking late evening walks.  I leave the house somewhere around 10:15, and for the next 45 to 60 minutes I might walk the neighborhood streets, but  sometimes I venture off the roads onto the golf course that winds its way through our community.  The lights from neighboring homes and the glow of the street lamps quickly fade as I follow a fairway to a distant green.