The Woman I Never Knew: Guest Post On Roots Of She
Readers, I'm happy to share that I have another guest post running today! As of Monday at 11am EST, "The Woman I Never Knew" is on Roots Of She, a wonderful community begun by Jenn Gibson. The post is about the journey toward self-acceptance and freedom; specifically, about a grace-filled encounter that took place before my wedding day (pictured). Welcome to A Wish Come Clear, Roots of She readers! If you enjoyed the post, consider receiving posts via email. When you do, you'll also receive a copy of Your Creed Of Care: How To Dig For Treasure In...
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How to Tell the Truth About Who You Are
This week, I've been thinking a good deal about truth; not absolute, capital-T Truth, but the smaller truth of felt experience. I've been noticing how often we lie; that is, how often we neglect to tell the truth about what we're feeling and what we value. We say we're fine when we're not. We say we like the book (or movie or restaurant or meeting time) that everyone else prefers, when our actual preference is very different. We tell white lies to make life 'easier', but the truth is that these little lies eat away at us. And by we,...
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On Being Present & Embracing Enough (Could it Change Your Life)?
At prayer-time at L'Arche this Thursday, we passed a candle around the table, as is our custom. The reflection question was posed to us was: "How are you feeling?" Such a simple, ordinary question. Yet in that moment, I saw how powerful that simple inquiry could be. To check in with myself, asking, "How am I really feeling? What is really true for me, inside?" To check in with others, asking, "How are you?" and really listening to the answer...these are acts of love. At L'Arche, we keep our meditations simple. That said, what arises from those simple...
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On Faith, Persistence + Moving Really, Really Heavy Objects: Loving My Brother, Part 4
Don't you love it when you think a story's over, but really, it's just getting good? Like in The Philadelphia Story, when you think Katherine Hepburn's going to marry the wrong man, but against all odds, she ends up (re)marrying the right one? Note: If you haven't seen The Philadelphia Story, I suggest you forgo your other commitments until you have done so. As Marisa de los Santos has one of her characters in Love Walked In say, "I can't decide if [Katherine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story] [is] beautiful, or if she just looks better than anyone I've ever...
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Shine On ‘Til Tomorrow (4 Illuminating Questions To Ask Today)
Sometimes, only a Beatles song will do. This being the case, I wanted to offer a soundtrack for this post (connected to the topic, of course.) So, once you've hit play on "Let It Be"... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajCYQL8ouqw ...we can move on to the story. 🙂 I went on a retreat this weekend, and in the final hour we did yoga while "Let It Be" played. We'd been invited to move as we desired. I felt happy, flowing from one pose to another. My practice has grown a lot in the last year. And then this voice started up from within. It...
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Your Own Improbable Peace: 4 Suggestions For Serenity
I keep telling my husband that we jinxed it. First, there was a mention of Vincent's* upcoming birthday. (Vincent always has some kind of medical emergency on or around his birthday.) Next, there was the way we said, "Finally, a quiet weekend at home. A normal, peaceful Saturday." You see where this is going, right? We were awakened by the L'Arche emergency line on Saturday morning. Vincent had stroke-like symptoms, and an ambulance took him to the hospital. It turns out that Vincent didn't have a stroke (thank God), but that he needs further tests to determine what's happening. And...
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It Helps Not To Be Afraid: Guest Post At “Thin Places”
hello, all, I'm pleased to share that I have a guest post at Amy Julia Becker's blog, "Thin Places." You can find today's post here: Perfectly Human: It helps not to be afraid. Thank you, Amy Julia, for the opportunity to post! Comments, retweets, likes and shares are always appreciated. The last post in the “Saving your sanity” series will run this Friday. Get ready: it will be an epic post on everything you need to streamline your daily routines. My posting schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Friday; subscribe for free via email (via the box at the top right of...
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Seeing The Beauty In What Remains
There's an incredible poem I'd like to share with you tonight: Monet Refuses the Operation, by Lisel Mueller. It's about everything one can see when 'normal' sight is taken away; it's about seeing the beauty in what remains, rather than mourning what we have lost. As such, it's my favorite poem about physical disability. It also reminds me of a question I was asked at Vassar, by English professor Kiese Laymon: why do you write? It took our Composition class 2 one-hour sessions to answer it (we each had a turn to speak personally, and to respond to other people's...
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Redefining Courage
Last night, I listened to an exceptional talk by Brene Brown, Ph.D., on wholeheartedness and vulnerability. You can find it here. It reminded me of a prayer-time at L’Arche in which Cassandra* showed great transparency. I write about it here: “When Cassandra’s asked the question, “What hurts do you carry? What hurts does L’Arche help to heal?” she replies, after a long pause: “Well. When people I love die. And. Not being able to do things right.” She looks straight back at me. My throat closes with gratitude that this woman has put into words the two great wounds that...
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