When our beloved dog Mira died, there were those who walked with us, honoring the truth of where we were, no matter what had brought us there. These were the compassionate. And there were those who felt our grief from a distance, though they were puzzled at the depth of our loss, given that she was only a dog. These were the sympathetic. But there were those who thought our heartbreak too wide and deep, and they grew impatient when... Read more

Read Mark Nepo's timely Op-Ed. Like everyone, I am deeply disturbed by the epidemic of violence in our nation. It is a heartbreaking sign of our age. Read more

On a sunny day on a visit to Seattle, I woke heavy-hearted, as the clouds in my head made me feel cold. Susan said, “Let’s go for a walk.” We ambled down University Street toward the harbor. Crossing Third Ave, she spotted the top of an enormous Ferris wheel poking above the buildings blocks away and exclaimed, “C’mon! Let’s find it!” So we made our way to the pier. It took thirty minutes. And there was the Great Wheel, seven... Read more

Saul of Tarsus was an intransigent Roman citizen, zealous in his persecution of early Christians in the first century. At the height of his fervor, Saul was blinded and knocked from his horse by a visitation from Jesus, who appeared in a bright light. After three days, he regained his sight and rose to find his deeper self revealed as Paul, the apostle, who spread the gospel of Jesus. He became the very thing he had persecuted. Falling tends to... Read more

My wife, Susan, is a potter. When she was first learning to center clay on the potter’s wheel, it was very difficult. This is a threshold all potters have to cross. Centering clay looks fluid and easy, but you have to allow your center of gravity to move into your hands. The pace of your whole being has to align—through your hands—with the movement of the wet clay on the spinning wheel. Like all beginning potters, Susan had to stay... Read more

Karen’s father never listened to her. When her college friend, Iris, came home for Thanksgiving to meet her family, Karen’s father began to drift away from their conversation as he always did, dismissing both of them. But Iris immediately said, “Mr. Hollins, we’re here, please.” This awkward call from Iris broke a dark custom between Karen and her father. After a brief and difficult silence, Karen’s father said, “Oh, sorry. Yes, where were we?” Later, Iris said to Karen, “It... Read more

I’m excited to share my new book, The One Life We’re Given: Finding the Wisdom that Waits in Your Heart, which was published July 19. Retrieving this book has made me a better person. I share my story and the stories of others as examples, not instructions. For everyone has to uncover the lessons of their own journey. My hope is that, through the threshold this book opens, you will deepen your conversation with life. That through your own path... Read more