My friend was nearing the end of teaching her session at one of our online events, and I followed her in the lineup. Our habit during these sessions was to provide an introduction of the follow-up speaker to connect to our audience. I felt the undertow of realizing this was one of my last events and diverted my attention to the other aspects of keeping the different parts of the event running. As is very…
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When Gary and I decided to travel to our young friend’s wedding in Northern California, I was excited to put some national parks on the must-see list. We enjoyed our time in Oregon, visiting Crater Lake. We even hiked to the base in the cold weather to view the epic blue lake from the rocky shore level. It was a breathtaking time, and I couldn’t get enough of the cerulean lake punctuated by the sole…
Leave a CommentI am trying to remember how I developed an interest in letter writing other than the halting start of the obligatory thank you note for Christmas gifts to far away relatives. Even then, I remember joyfully caring about either making the card or selecting one that fit the occasion and the recipient. I have lovely memories of receiving letters. My mom wrote me during Plebe Summer at the Naval Academy. Even though I was just…
Leave a CommentHave you ever told others to do something that you have yet to grasp HOW to really do? I have spent the past year learning what it means to live in contemplative spaces. My work in spiritual direction has required an intentional slowing down for deeper thinking to replace minute-by-minute distractions. I am a person who loves to multitask and feels accomplished by the amount of things achieved in a day. So, even with my…
Leave a CommentI have a question. Have you ever, in the moment, prayed earnestly and then, over days, drifted to more dribble prayers? I wonder if God is not moved by our inconsistency in remembering what we ask for. This is just a meandering of mine for Monday. Because I placed my earbud in a location I forgot about — I began to look for it when I missed it. Because I looked in all the rememberable…
Leave a CommentMy role in the Institute for Cultural Communicators involves training adults and students to be ready to speak. The most compelling reason to be ready to speak is often a deadline. The deadline for our volunteers is usually a training event we are running. So recently, a few of the adult leaders I work with have asked, “Mary, do you think I need a story?” -which translates to – Will I be asked to speak? My…
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