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
“Man only plays when he is in the fullest sense of the word a human being, and he is only fully a human being when he plays.” ~ Friedrich Schiller Do you ever have "I'm sailing!" moments? You know, like from the movie What About Bob? when Bill Murray is tied to the sail boat … Continue reading “I’m Painting! I’m Painting!” and Learning to Pray through Play
Hi. How are you doing? Me? Honestly? I have anxiety in me. My body hasn't felt such a fist in my chest or a jaw this tight since my lawyer days. It doesn't feel great. I have a lot of questions: questions about what is happening in our country; questions about what I can do. … Continue reading This is how I want to be
Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone started their day by cultivating lovingkindness in their hearts? (I'm an idealist. I like to imagine these things. I like to think that anything is possible.) Maybe that's too big. I should start smaller. How would my day, my interactions, my heart change if … Continue reading Heart Exercises: Stretching your heart with lovingkindness
For some reason, I'm finding words to be scarce this summer. Although, sometimes you don't need many words. A few will do just fine. A Poem: It sounds cheesy and much too simple, but I honestly believe it is True. The Answer is Love. The way, the truth, the life: this is the Love that … Continue reading A Poem and a Practice: Adored.
“Creation itself is a sacred text through which the presence of God is revealed to us.” –Christine Valters Paintner Last weekend, I hiked with my family through a gorgeous piece of woods in a state park close to home. The trees were green with young leaves. Warm sunlight illuminated young ferns and a myriad of … Continue reading Walking with your Eyes and Heart Wide Open
The other day I packed up half of my closet. I don't know what happened, but my clothes shrunk. The clothes that used to be just a bit too loose are now too tight. Or even unbuttonable. Sigh. I cried a little. Maybe even more than a little. It felt like I was being invited … Continue reading A Poem and a Prayer in Honor of Expanding
This poem was my invitation. An invitation to listen. To participate. To dance and play with something much bigger than myself. I firmly believe that this invitation is extended to everybody.
The other day, my boys were discussing world peace, an unusually weighty topic for the two of them. "I wish there were no wars," my 6-year-old lamented. "Yeah, me too," the 9-year-old added. "Why do people have to fight?" "You know, we could start by start practicing world peace at home." I suggested. The boys rolled … Continue reading Practicing Peace
How much undoing do we have left, God? It seems like we have undone a lot, and I am itching to do something. But there is always more. Another layer that needs to go. My expectations for myself. You would like those? These are hard to release. The disappointment I feel because these expectations of mine don't match … Continue reading Undoing: A Prayer
Jessica Sanborn 