Work is exertion. When I work I exert energy and effort. I may be digging a trench or moving rocks. I may be exerting influence or exerting my will. I may be struggling to find just the right word or phrase, struggling to make adjustments, or struggling to motivate someone else to take a specific […]
Lent Reflection: Recognizing Work and Rest Read More »
Pilgrims leave home and walk toward the Sacred. We are at the mercy of other people. We depend on others to take us in at night, and to take us along on our journey. We go as far as we can each day and, far from home, stop to rest each evening. We take only what we can
Pilgrimage and Hospitality Read More »
Doing work that I love in ways that I enjoy is not the same as resting. When I was growing up, it was easy to tell the difference between work and rest. Work was what you would not do unless someone paid you to do it. Work was hard, draining physically and emotionally. The reward
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Each of us is on our own pilgrimage. We are all on pilgrimage together. The people with whom I share the pilgrim road tell me their stories. I talk with a man who believes that he must do everything right, but is beginning to question the rightness of his answers. I listen to a woman
On Our Own Pilgrimage Together Read More »
This year for Lent I am focusing on work and rest. Last year, I focused on fear. Yes, they are connected. I tend to work most of the time. Even now, as I include regular time for silence, for reflection, for listening to the Sacred around me in my days, I work most of the
Lent Reflection: Focusing on Work and Rest Read More »
Love means different things to different people. Some of us see hearts and flowers. Some taste very dark chocolate, sweet as well as bitter. Some of us see another person’s face, or the light in a child’s eyes. Some find love in our dog or our cat. Some of us think of making love, of
Valentine’s Love & Appreciation Read More »
I am part of a church that follows a liturgical calendar. Like all calendars, a liturgical calendar helps us remember the day and the season. On Wednesday we begin a new season again. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. Each time we get together we remind each other of our story and we share a
Our pilgrimage is not a race. There are some similarities. Planning and preparation are important. Breathing is essential. We train and practice each day. Each step has lessons to teach us. Sometimes we develop a rhythm or find the zone. There are very significant differences. Our pilgrimage is neither a marathon nor a sprint. It
Our Pilgrimage is Not a Race Read More »
I believe in the power of revelry, and this has been a revelrous week for me. I set goals, and I celebrate when I meet them. I create incentives and rewards to motivate myself to meet my goals, even beyond the satisfaction I get just from meeting them. As my goals grow, my revelry grows
Becoming Like a Consuming Fire Read More »
I do an excellent job of planning and preparing. I can foresee a very wide variety of potential obstacles and challenges, and design effective steps to overcome them. I am excellent at seeing worst case scenarios and finding ways to prevail over them. I do exhaustive research to learn as much as I can about
