Giving Something Up

Today is Ash Wednesday in Christianity, the day that marks the beginning of Lent, the season that commemorates Jesus fasting 40 days in the desert.  Often referred to as the three pillars of Lent, many commit to 40 days of Frankly, those are three things that every human should practice 365 days each year. Many …

Light a Candle

As time passes, I become more grateful for the many blessings bestowed upon me through the grace of God.  Many of those blessings come from people, some I know, others may be strangers, but their positive effect on my life is undeniable… like the grace of God. Ten years ago, a young attorney friend who …

Spiritual Understanding

In a December 2017 interview with Kozo Hattori and Pavithra Mehta from Awakin.org, Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer said, “A spiritual understanding not practiced under fire is without value.”  This is as profound a statement of spirituality as I have heard.  It was part of her answer to the question, “Your Greatest Inspiration.” Dr. Aluli Meyer grew up …

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Some things are not meant to be forgotten.  Fifty-three years ago on this day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. penned his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”  The letter is one of those things that must remain an important part of human thought. Five years ago, we first posted a piece that speaks to the heart of …

Our Greatest Blunder

Redemptorist priest Pat Hawk spent his last day on earth three years ago in 2012.  He was a quiet, contemplative man.  Although I did not know him well, I did attend several of his open ‘pathless path’ sessions at the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Picture Rocks.  Father Hawk was a Roshi, a highly venerated senior …

God’s Hall of Fame

My mother passed away in August 2010; she died in the middle of the night in an assisted living facility not far from our home.  My father passed away 24 hours ago; he died peacefully in his own bed in this house just like he wanted to.  He was two months shy of his 93rd …

The Most Beautiful Story I Have Ever Read

In 2014, I have read three books by Minnesotan Kent Nerburn.  I know him for his stories on Native Americans. Last week as I searched for new books for the bookstore I volunteer at, I found a book written in 1999 by Mr. Nerburn titled Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, Living in the …

Jesus and the Disinherited

I never knew who Howard Thurman was until January 2014.  I know it was in January because that is when I posted “A Place for Angels,” a post about Howard Thurman that was well received.  I believe in angels just like I believe dog is man’s best friend.  That’s reality. I finished Thurman’s book Jesus …