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A Grain of Salt Posts

2 Am Chatter

Have you ever noticed that 2 am seems to be the perfect time for your brain to unload all the thoughts that somehow stay quiet during the day? It’s as though my mind decides that now, with the house dark and silent, it’s the ideal time to declutter the stored chatter. This late-night surge of thoughts feels oddly familiar and powerful, and if you’ve experienced it, you know exactly what I mean. Over the past…

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In Your Bones

Public speaking often stirs up a great deal of anxiety. A friend of mine, who frequently trains others in public speaking, had a way of calming nervous speakers before they took the stage. She would reassure them by saying, “Don’t worry, it’s in your bones.” What she meant was that they were sharing something deeply familiar to them, something instinctively known. Sometimes, we need others to remind us of what is already instinctive and so…

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Mary’s Meanderings

Revisionist History Podcast Collagen Powder The Person Called You book Suncatcher -Happy Things Mary’s Spiritual Direction Page

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The Scraggly Hibiscus

I have a hibiscus bush that has made it through several seasons of living inside and outside. I loved it for its color and was happy to make the effort to keep this plant alive. This most recent transition from inside living to the outdoor deck seems particularly rough. It currently looks much like a Hawaiian Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. I was surveying the hibiscus this past June and wondering out loud with my daughter…

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The Emperor Has No Clothes

You know the story. The vain Emperor is tricked into thinking he has been given the most exquisite clothing when, in reality, he is parading through town naked. It took a child in the crowd stating the obvious for everyone to come out of the fog of fear and recognize that the Emperor had no clothes. Reflecting on this story, I couldn’t help but draw a parallel to my experience of giving an announcement in…

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Why Silence?

As we sat at the breakfast table on the last day of our eight-day silent retreat, the silence was now broken, and we had the opportunity to connect with each other before leaving. One of my fellow retreatants asked those of us sitting at the table, What’s the theory behind silence? She was self-admittingly brand new to this idea, and it was such a heartfelt and honest question. One person explained that silence allowed one to hear…

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