I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jessica Barrett ‘s reflection “How I Bring Contemplative Presence to My Life and Family.” I didn’t used to be this slow. I used to rush through my mornings with a to-do list etched in my mind like scripture—feeding the baby with one hand while replying to emails with the other, brushing my teeth while bouncing a toddler on my hip, guiltily skipping breakfast in favor of coffee and deadlines. There was a time when productivity felt like a

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Janeen R. Adil’s reflection on love inspiring contemplation and action. I was an undergrad when I first read the works of esteemed poet Richard Wilbur. Decades later, the title of one of his poems still resonates with me. As I seek to live as a contemplative monk in the world, the title’s words land as a sort of rallying cry: “Love Calls Us to the Things of This World.” The deeper I’ve been led into my Christian

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Mary Camille Thomas’s reflection and poem “All Things Sing You.” In my blog The Kingdom of Enough I ponder this question: In a crazy, consumer culture that is busy bombarding us with demands and desires, how do we touch the peace that reigns in the cave of every heart?Although I’m a churchgoer, I am just as likely to find the answer to that question in nature, including my own backyard — like Dorothy Frances Gurney I often feel that

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Liz Coffman’s poems on being present. The poems I offer are a reflection of my experience as a “Monk in the World” navigating the daily challenges of being present and being conscious of the holy charge I carry.  It is humbling. HOW IS ITHow is itThat I,The selfish selfI so often carryAroundIn mindless chatterAm the OneWho makes evidentThe Holy Light To unveil it’s glowTo be presentTo the Cosmic ConsciousnessIn the grocery storeNext to you CHANGED PLACESYour God