Earlier this week, I had big feelings over small things.I cried over Christmas lights. It wasn't pretty. I was skeptical and cranky about our tree. But today, the tree is decorated with a colorful cacophony of memories and strung with not-LED colored lights. The sun is hitting it just so--illuminating the striped glass ball that used to hang … Continue reading What are You Seeking this Advent?
I shared this poem over email yesterday. It's been a long time in the making, but not necessarily in the writing. I offer it with gratitude and love. I. Sun-glittered diamondsripple across laughing water.You step in,the sky opens:light explodes in and from your heart. "You are Mine. My Son. Precious in my sight. I adore … Continue reading A Good Friday Poem
Here we are. It's Holy Week. In the middle of a pandemic. We are being braced for increasingly difficult and heartbreaking weeks ahead. May I offer a prayer practice? The week before life in Minnesota shut down for the virus, I spent my Tuesday night at a class for directing the Extended Ignatian Exercises. Participants … Continue reading Praying through Holy Week in a Pandemic
Hello, friends. How are you? This is a hard time we are in. The other night, I couldn't fall asleep. I had a hard time breathing and couldn't catch my breath. I couldn't stop shaking. My thoughts went to: "Oh no! It's Corona! Who have I made sick?" I ran downstairs to take my temperature. … Continue reading You are not Alone
A few weeks ago, in the middle of Peter Heller's mystery novel Celine, I ran across this quote that I needed: "There might not be a measure of happiness left in a life, but there could be beauty and grace and endless love." This last refrain resounded like a prayer, like a song: there could … Continue reading When Grace and Grief Collide
"Come and see . . ." These may just be my favorite words in the Bible today. I say today, because maybe other words will hold that distinction tomorrow. For today, "Come and see" sends a breath of life into my heart. These words are an invitation to not know now. I am invited to … Continue reading Come and See: The Invitation of Imaginative Prayer
On New Year's Eve, I said good-night to my 11-year-old, and the weight of a decade hit me in the chest. Where were we 10 years ago? In another life. Another city, a different house, we only had two kids, neither in school yet. Time and circumstances have reshaped the way we spend our time … Continue reading What Does it Mean to Live Yes? (On Marking Time and Living Forward)
Last year, when December was just around the corner, and I noticed that my to-do list was becoming more and more consuming, I asked the question: "How do I want to be this season?" I knew that the answer was not: stressed or focused on buying things or getting stuff done. Rather, I wanted to … Continue reading An Advent Calendar for Wonder and an Open Heart
Before I get lost in the to-do list. Before I jot down lists of presents to buy. Before I stock my pantry in anticipation of Christmas baking. Before I get out ornaments and lights. I need to take a breath. I need to take another breath. I need to pull out my journal and sit … Continue reading What Does Your Soul Need for Christmas? (or preparing for a contemplative holiday season with questions)
Today is filled with all sorts of heaviness--for a number of people we know and hold dear. This past month has been a heavy month for us. I know that it's always a heavy time for someone, somewhere. I often have a hard time praying with impromptu sentences these days: the kind of prayer I … Continue reading Kyrie Eleison: A prayer for heavy times
Jessica Sanborn 