Now is the Winter of Our Discontent This has been a long, painful, sorrowful year and many of us have already entered the winter of our discontent. The year has brought us to our knees. We feel exhausted and are looking for something, or someone, to inspire us. Most of us are not able to migrate right now and it feels like a good time for us to begin hibernating for a long, cold winter. Our screens show us images… Read more

Remembering Those We Have Lost We are entering a weekend for remembering those we have lost, one of the scariest weekends of a scary year. This year in particular, many of us work hard to avoid remembering those we have lost. We would like just one day, or an afternoon, to forget this year and all the people who are no longer with us. Many of us have not been able to get away from the steady march of death… Read more

Fire in the Fireplace After the long, extended stretch of this year, we are finally entering the season for watching fire in the fireplace. Where I live this year has brought challenges like heat waves and wildfires along with the pandemic. Our evenings are only now getting cool enough to watch a fire in the fireplace. It might be my favorite contemplative spiritual practice, though I also enjoy staying in bed to read books. When people come to me wanting… Read more

Contemplative Voting Voting is something I have practiced for almost as long as I can remember. A practice of contemplative voting has been growing in me more recently. Politics and voting have always been important to me. I have voted for president in four different states, as well as for senators, representatives, governors, legislators, and all the local offices. Some places where I lived held elections for judges as well as propositions and referenda, and I voted for them. I… Read more

Living in Extraordinary Time In liturgical churches we divide each year into liturgical seasons. It is not enough for us to understand our beliefs intellectually. We need to experience and appreciate them deep within ourselves. This season, the season in which the year ends, is Ordinary Time. This year’s Ordinary Time has become extraordinary time. In general, we start each new year with Advent, which we will begin in about six weeks. Advent helps us prepare for Christmas, which lasts… Read more