I freely admit that I crave a certain degree of order in my life.  On the Myers-Briggs I am an INFJ with a fairly strong organizational J.  That J serves me very well in work and thrives on deadlines. It is certainly what got me through a PhD program in under 6 years. I love my home to be neat and I have a hard time getting to work if its not (okay, so maybe it helps me procrastinate sometimes).  I can be the queen of planning and every day make lists of things to get done (although I often don’t accomplish

Perhaps the most stressful part of our entire trip to Ireland in June was the driving and navigating. It wasn’t so much driving on the opposite side of the road, as the fact that almost all of their roads are extremely narrow.  Every time a truck or bus came the other way I cringed, sure that there was not enough room to get by.  And every time we drove through a town we would lose track of the road signs telling us which way to continue on to our destination.  My husband did all of the driving, mostly because we had to

“Think of the ways that questions illuminate the world around us.  Questions tune the soul.  The purpose behind questions is to initiate the quest. . . . We need to be introduced to our longings because they guard our mystery. Ask yourself what mystery is being guarded by your longing.”  -Phil Cousineau from The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred I am in the midst of one last journey of the summer, holding many questions in my heart, guarding many longings I am not yet able to name.   My quest feels like it was initiated long ago, but I

I am leaving tomorrow for a few days of retreat on Saltspring Island up in British Columbia.  I am bringing Tune, my camera, my journal, and my art supplies, and I will meet one of my dearest friends up there. I went to Saltspring Island for the first time in January of 2006 and it was a powerful week of retreat for me.  Duke was with me and he kept vigil during that holy time.  I heard the whisper of the sacred presence all around me, calling me to new things that are still unfolding within me.  I spent hours walking