A Mindful Life

Gratitude is so close to the bone of life, pure and true, that it instantly stops the rational mind, and all its planning and plotting.
–Regina Sara Ryan, Praying Dangerously

Postings have waned since I started working last month. The job drastically reduces my time to read and cull material to quote here, as well as limits the time and energy for reflection, writing, and polishing original posts.
In addition, I am in the process of laying the foundation for my life coach [...]

Chang’s sudden death came as a blow to many of her colleagues in the Bay Area, to whom she has lent generous time and support in pursuit of reparation and an apology from the Japanese government for atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers against Chinese soldiers and civilians.
–San Jose Mercury News
Chang had recently been battling severe [...]

Keep silence, keep silence, for by virtue of the command “Be!”
that silence of bewilderment has augmented beyond all speech.
–Rumi

I want to be bold,
bright, and brash, to astonish
you with my presence.

“Sun Flowers” by Brian Miller ©2003 / ephotograph

The radical is that unique person who actually believes what he says. He is that person to whom the common good is the greatest personal value. He is that person who genuinely and completely believes in humankind. The radical is so completely identified with humankind that he personally shares the pain, the injustices, and the [...]

The saltwater prize
as crusty as its captor
more than met its match.

“Maine Lobsterman” by Barbara Tew ©2003 / ephotograph

Only gratefulness, in the form of limitless openness for surprise, lays hold of the fullness of life in hope.
–David Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer

The excerpt below is sad news. My mother is recovering from breast cancer. I say “recovering” because, as far as I know, until five years have passed without recurrence, a woman is not “in the clear.” January 2005 will be the second anniversary of her surgery. I myself was confronted with [...]

Whether we are saddened or elated by the prospect of another four years, now is not the time for depression or gloating. Jesus called on his followers to be peacemakers, and told them that they would be called the sons of God. This promise still exists for us today. These are simple but powerful words. [...]