For years I’ve had the word gelassenheit (literally: “serenity”) framed on my wall. In college, I studied existentialism and phenomenology and came across the...
The Examined Life
A creak in the old floorboard announces my presence. The blue-haired cashier twists from her perch behind the counter as I enter the co-op. Her young eyes warm...
I have spent the majority of the past three years of my life either pregnant or breastfeeding. While my collective 16 months of pregnancy with children born...
Broken can be beautiful too. This is the lesson of kintsugi, an ancient Japanese art form that gives new life to broken pottery. The word kintsugi means “to...
When I was 10 years old, I had a fight with my mom. I don’t remember what it was about: It could have been any of the thousand little battles that happen daily...
This Christmas will be lonely and quiet for many of us. I wonder how those of us who love to celebrate the holidays through the gift of food and joy of cooking...
I never imagined Eucharist could smell like beef stew—until it did. Church bells toll across campus. Each gong sings through the early evening air with...
When I was little, one of my favorite book series was the Emily of New Moon books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The main character loves to write and makes friends...
Walk slowly, and bow often. Mary Oliver nestles this sage piece of advice in the middle of her poem “When I Am Among the Trees.” It’s a poem I committed to...
In 2001 I celebrated my first Mass as pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Kingston, Jamaica. The church was filled with music, fellowship, and...
