Retreat Reminiscence – Friday

Phenomenal Retreat is the review of Oakwood Retreat Center in the fall of 2015.

Oakwood Retreat Center is a wonderful property, and one of my most sweet memories is hearing the migrating song birds as they gathered in the woods near the meditation hall.

Being able to spend time in nature is one […]

Retreat Reminiscence – Thursday

November, 2014, we were at Camp Geneva in Holland, Michigan. It was an amazingly gorgeous setting on the shores of Lake Michigan.

One of my most tender memories was of sharing a room with Claudia and Wayne. Claudia and I have been roommates many years, but Wayne was with us this time because he […]

Retreat Reminiscence -Tuesday

While on retreat, stuff comes up. While it is common to think what comes up is about someone or something else, it is always coming from within. With a bit of kindness, awareness can expand, leaving a space of love and gratitude.

The October, 2013, retreat in Howell, Michigan, presented me with roommate stuff. […]

Retreat Reminiscence-Monday

This week I will be at Oakwood Retreat Center in Selma, Indiana. I will be practicing noble silence along with all of the other retreat participants. While noble silence, or even retreat, may seem a strange experience to many, it is balm to body and soul.

This week it might be fun for you […]

Tree of Hope

Right after posting this blog, I was gifted a box of blank cards titled “Tree of Hope.” I am posting again, with the new title and with the front of the card now included.

Deep Spring Center Thought for Today

“If you wish to live in (a certain city) what might block you from […]

Infinite Possibilities

Deep Spring Center Thought for Today

“If you wish to live in (a certain city) what might block you from manifesting that move? Is there any question about your worthiness to live in a place that is most delightful to you? Any question about fear of getting what you want? The question here is not […]

Does the tree still live in your heart?

An alternate title for this post could be: Fleas Have Not Yet Flown.

Checking in with our small group on the Dharma Path (a two-year course with Barbara Brodsky, Aaron, and John Orr) on Tuesday evening, I shared feeling very sad about the removal of a beautiful, big, old (about 60 years), tree that […]

Fleas!

Those who know me well know I am a real cat lover. I don’t have a cat right now, but I wrote a poem about trying to woo a barn cat into the house. It was inspired by “What a Figure Can Do!” (Craft Tip 14, page 118-125) from The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop, […]

Sovereignty

“The whole problem with people is that they know what matters, but they don’t choose it.” — Sue Monk Kidd

I was sharing with a precious friend about how her current role as a caregiver for her husband is similar to a mom’s taking care of an infant. The aura of the person being cared […]

Commitment to Joy in Trying Times

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

“The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver from New and Selected Poems, 1992 Beacon Press, Boston, MA Copyright 1992

It has been quite some time since I made a two-year commitment to a formal program of study. Deep Spring Meditation […]