This month at the Patheos Book Club they are featuring Robert Wicks’ new book Streams of Contentment. I was invited to write a post in response to the theme of the book and participate in a conversation abotu contentment. Wicks’ book offers us an array of stories to illuminate this journey toward living a life of deeper contentment, of more simplicity and clarity about what brings us satisfaction, of remembering gratitude as a foundational practice. I have learned a lot about contentment from my yoga practice. In Sanskrit the word for contentment is santosha which asks us to accept the current state

My latest Seasons of the Soul column at Patheos: Amma Syncletica said, “In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and afterwards, ineffable joy. It is like those who wish to light a fire; at first they are choked by smoke and cry, and by this means obtain what they seek (and it is said: “Our God is a consuming fire” Heb. 12.24): so we also must kindle the divine fire in ourselves through tears and hard work.” (Syncletica 1) -excerpted from The Sayings of the

Stop by Patheos for my latest reflection: “The summer night is like a perfection of thought.”  –Wallace Stevens “What is summer’s sweetness / but an invitation to respond?” —Lynn Ungar My husband and my work schedules run on the academic year which means that we work quite hard from fall through spring, but then summer opens up like a lavish gift before us.  I am finding these summer days I have been resistant even to the writing that I love so much, craving more silence and rest and so as I sit down to write this reflection I am drawn toward

My latest Seasons of the Soul column at Patheos: Love wants to reach out and manhandle us, Break all our teacup talk of God. If you had the courage and Could give the Beloved His choice, some nights, He would just drag you around the room By your hair, Ripping from your grip all those toys in the world That bring you no joy. Love sometimes gets tired of speaking sweetly And wants to rip to shreds All your erroneous notions of truth . . . The Beloved sometimes wants To do us a great favor: Hold us upside down

My latest Seasons of the Soul column at Patheos: In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself astray in a dark wood where the straight road had been lost sight of. –Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy We have just passed the midpoint of our Lenten journey through the desert. This is a ripe moment to pause and reflect on the commitments we made in earnest almost a month ago as ash was smeared across our skin, reminding us of the preciousness of our days. The human heart is a funny thing, full of passion for spirit

Stop by my latest Seasons of the Soul column at Patheos for a reflection on entering this season of blossoming: For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! –Song of Songs 2:11-13 Spring and all its flowers now joyously break their vow of silence. It is time for