Introducing “Everyday Miracles”

A few years ago on a January morning, I got a call from Mary, a dear friend and fellow writer. In her typically ebullient way, she said, “Deb, I think I’ve got the answer.”

I didn’t know what question she had the answer to, but I knew well enough to listen carefully, because Mary’s answers often are revelatory.

“I just read,” she said, “that Pat Conroy talks to Doug Marlette every day about writing. We can do that same thing.”

She was referring to the novelist who wrote Prince of Tides and his friendship with the editorial cartoonist who won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize. Obviously, Mary and I had a different story. We’d graduated from the same non-fiction masters writing program, and we’d known each other for a relatively short time. But both of us wanted to explore new themes of writing and spirituality, and we knew we could count on each other to encourage that in the other. Her idea made perfect sense.

So my answer to her answer was an unequivocal yes.

For an entire year, we talked almost every weekday. Sometimes our conversations lasted five minutes, sometimes they stretched on for hours. We talked about writing techniques. But more important, we talked through life and then wrote about it. We talked about early marriages that didn’t work, the death of Mary’s husband, and the moment I knew I was ready for a healthy relationship. We talked about whether sacrifice is noble, what it means to stop pleasing other people, and why the word “pocketbook” conjures up so many specific memories of aunts and grandmothers.

Our conversations shaped and enriched our thinking, challenging us to go deeper into our own souls and belief systems. And they also reminded us that throughout our entire lives, we’ve combined writing and seeking as a way to create the life we want and grieve the losses along the way. Those conversations and the writing they prompted helped us grow spiritually. And in that, we found enormous joy.

This blog is my conversation with you.

With each entry, I want to hand you an afghan and a cup of tea and invite you to move in for a while. I want to share stories of everyday events—my own and those of others—and how they inspire us on the often messy and circuitous journey called Seeking.

Through those stories, I want to lasso spiritual principles and pull them down to earth, dressing them in practical clothes and translating their sometimes flowery language into words we all use and understand.

Because, truly, that’s where miracles happen.

Since miracles are sacred, I only ask that we approach our conversation with some reverence. Whenever I present a workshop, I start with the intention to create a safe place in which everyone can share their thoughts without fear of judgment or unsolicited advice. That’s what I ask of our conversation, too.

Please be respectful of others’ opinions and spiritual perspectives, just as you would expect them to be with you.

Remember that at the core of spiritual growth is our own journey, which may be filled with detours and lessons that seem avoidable to others. We all want to offer helpful guidance, but please refrain from advising others on what they should or shouldn’t do, since what looks like a mistake to you may be their greatest opportunity.

And, finally, I know you’ll keep it civil, free of personal attacks. The Internet, like everything, can be used for growth and expansion or defilement and fear. “Everyday Miracles” is all about choosing love, and I ask that comments be offered in that spirit as well.

I hope you’ll subscribe, share and comment, becoming part of the conversation and seeing the miracles in your everyday life growing and blossoming right along with you.

With blessings and gratitude,

Debra Engle