I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for June Mears Driedger’s reflection titled Going Silent. The road sign into The Hermitage property in Three Rivers, Michigan (USA), says, “Begin to drive slowly.”  It is a safety request but it is also a sign of what is to come while I stay at the contemplative prayer retreat facility. My desire is to slow down, to stop pushing, to cease striving, to go silent.  My desire is to pray, to listen, to quiet my inner noise. Often, when I first arrive at The Hermitage,

We welcome you to submit your reflection for possible publication in our Monk in the World guest post series. It is a gift to read how ordinary people are living lives of depth and meaning in the midst of the challenges of real life. There are so many talented writers and artists in this Abbey community, so this is a chance to share your perspective. The link to the reflection will be included in our weekly newsletter which goes out to more than 10,000 subscribers. Please follow these instructions carefully: Please click this link to read a selection of the posts and get a feel for

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Kieran Hayes‘s reflection titled My Spiritual Life in Six Pieces. I sit on a cushion on the floor, legs folded, and bring awareness to the gentle tide of the breath rising and falling on the shore of my body. I am aware of sounds, of thoughts, of feelings. I get distracted, lost in thought, and then I return again to the breath which anchors me in the present moment. I come home to myself and the now, again and again. This practice has

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Lori Kochanski‘s reflection on the practice of loving the one in front of me. The woman lay dying, waiting for a blessing. The family is waiting to learn what it would take for their little girl to be baptized. The seeker needs to know if we have $400 to complete his asylum paper work. The secretary is waiting for the weekly announcements to be proofread. My husband is waiting for dinner. The teacher is waiting to teach the moves of the East Coast swing.

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Kate Kennington Steer’s reflection on “Project Wholeness.”  I am currently in the midst of trying to find ways to refine my activities.  I know I need to make an act of creativity the energy focus of my every day because I am positive that my healing will be found this way.  This healing may or may not include physical wellness, but what I am convinced of is that healing is ‘about’ wholeness.  My Inner Witness watches my heart expand every time I

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Nicole Keisler’s reflection titled Rhythms of Life. Everything here takes time. Even a simple task of washing dishes seem to grow into an event; part of a daily ritual that is as much a part of life here as the rising and setting of the sun. Make the not-so-long-walk to the “kitchen.”  Fill the basin. Carry the water. Wash the dishes. Rinse. Then rinse again. As I slowly wash off the remainders of yesterday morsels in the lean-to that is the scullery,

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Timothy Nickel’s reflection on dancing with God and each other as hospice chaplain. Silence and Space God is the silence behind all sound, ever present if we listen. God is the empty space amidst all objects, ever present if we behold. These truths inform us … we are always in God’s presence. Indeed we are God’s presence! If we listen for the silence behind all sound, there is God. If we behold the empty space amidst all objects, there is God.