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Reflections

Category: Monk in the World Guest Post Series

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Laurie vandenHurk

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Laurie vandenHurk’s reflection on praying the Rosary. Sometimes there are no words for prayer. Sometimes silence just opens me to the chatter and anxiety in my brain.  A number of years ago there was a crisis in my inner circle that threw our lives into chaos. How could I support a loved one whose life just fell apart? How could I hold a supportive space for the others who are equally impacted? What do I need for

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Anne Montgomery Schmid

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Anne Montgomery Schmid’s reflection Behold. “Come and see,” she said to me. These were powerful words that called to me like a beacon from a lighthouse. I was sitting in Bible Study one morning, wearing grief like a heavy cloak, when this wise woman spoke these words of invitation to me. Noticing my weary posture, she suggested I walk the labyrinth. Not knowing what a labyrinth was, but trusting this soon to be beloved friend, I did

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Callie J. Smith

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Callie J. Smith’s reflection Yarns and Yams: On Enjoying What My Loved Ones Enjoy. Vivid strawberry, variegated mango with cream and aquamarine, a very soft and buttery yellow–my mother handknits dishcloths in a wonderful variety of colors and patterns. I love seeing her smile each time she shows me her latest yarn purchase and, knowing another dishcloth is coming, I find myself soaking up her enthusiasm for the process. Even when my mother pauses from her knitting,

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Rachel Grandey

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Rachel Grandey’s reflection on bringing the heart of contemplative practice to research and opening to the questions. In 2023 I left my job of ten years as a teacher in South East Asia, to start the new adventure of a PhD back in my passport country. As I reflect on the past two years, I realise that the practice of persevering in being present to my studies is teaching me just as much about vocation as being

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Teresa Calpino

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Teresa Calpino’s reflection on wisdom from Mary Magdalene as the apostle and prophet of grief “I know why we try to keep the dead alive: we try to keep them alive, to keep them with us. I also know that if we are to live ourselves there comes a point at which we must relinquish the dead, let them go.”― Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion is one of our prophets of grief. She testifies that

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Anne Marie Cribbin

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Anne Marie Cribbin’s reflection Embracing Celtic Rhythms through Sobriety. In a world that spins with relentless speed, I have found my sanctuary in the gentle rhythms of the Celtic calendar. Sobriety, an anchor in my life, has opened a door to a monastic way of being—a life steeped in mindfulness, simplicity, and sacred connection to the earth’s cycles. This journey is not just about abstaining from alcohol but about embracing a life that is intentional, reflective, and

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Jo-ed Tome

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Wisdom Council member Jo-ed Tome’s reflection Slower. Softer. Simpler. I did not exactly set out to become a monk. If someone had told my younger self that “monk” would one day be part of my self-description, I probably would have laughed and then quickly apologized because I was raised to be polite. But over the years, this monk-in-the-world identity has slowly revealed itself, not through lightning bolts or desert visions, but through the gentle rhythm of days

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