Fin and feather, flesh, blood and bone: the earth calls its creatures to leave the familiar, turn again into the unknown; to move steadily and continuously and at great risk toward an invisible goal, expending great energy with the possibility of failure… —Marianne Worcester I write these words from the shores of Cape May, NJ where I am leading a retreat. Cape May is a resting place for weary souls seeking renewal and refreshment. It is also the resting place for Monarch butterflies as they make their long migratory journey to Mexico. In Galway, Ireland, where I live, the mighty

Stop by to read my latest Seasons of the Soul column at Patheos on the gifts and wisdom of autumn. If you like this reflection, I would be grateful if you would click the “like” button at the top of the page and share it with your friends via Facebook or Twitter: The leaves are falling, falling as if from far up, as if orchards were dying high in space. Each leaf falls as if it were motioning “no.” And tonight the heavy earth is falling away from all other stars in the loneliness. We’re all falling. This hand here is

I have a new Seasons of the Soul column up at Patheos: Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for he is going to say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Mt 25:35). ~ Rule of St Benedict 53:1-2 This quote from Benedict’s Rule is a foundational expression of the principle of hospitality at work: I am called to welcome in every stranger who comes to the door as the face of the divine. I love this invitation of the Rule. I consider what this means at its foundation: that everything that seems strange, foreign, or

Read my latest Seasons of the Soul column at Patheos: God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches you by means of opposites, so that you will have two wings to fly—not one. ~ Rumi Last spring my husband and I decided to embark on a midlife adventure. He quit his teaching career of twelve years, the one he was ready for a break from. Together we sold our home, car, and most of our belongings. In some ways, our plans came together very quickly—we would move to Austria for a year where I had recently acquired dual