"The sun comes up and we start again. The sun comes up and we start again... Be here now." Mason Jennings sang me to wake this morning with words that I needed to hear and carry with me today. They echo words from St. Benedict that I have tucked into my heart: "always we begin … Continue reading Why I always begin again (and again)
How do we talk to our children about war and enemies and hope and love? How do we talk to one another? I had the opportunity to practice the other morning as my six-year-old examined the library books scattered on the family-room floor. The conversation went something like this: "Mom, that picture on The Vanished … Continue reading Can We Talk About War and Enemies and Hope and Love?
Last week, my husband and I packed our three children into the minivan to make a two-day trek to Florida. After escaping frozen Minnesota, our van hurtled down the highway slicing through Iowa's brown farm fields. The sun, still golden, dipped closer to the horizon. Dark grey clouds cloaked most of the sun's fading light. … Continue reading Presence
This poem arrived last week. I'm just starting to understand why I needed it. Rumi said: "Poetry holds its meaning loosely, like a rock in a sling. We let fly. The rest is out of our control." I think I'm also just starting to get what that means. Just fly. Just fly. An eagle soars: held … Continue reading Just Fly
Who are you listening to? Do you listen to Them? I have. Why? Who are They? And why do I give them so much power? Paralyzed by what They might think. Nameless, Faceless Opinions. * * * Do you listen to Should? I have. Why? Should is an ordinary, but insidious word. The definition for … Continue reading Who are You Listening To?
Jessica Sanborn 