Category Archives: compassion

The Sirens’ Song

Posted on September 18, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

Blame comes like the sirens’ song. “Join us,” they chant. “Still the ache.Be free. End the war.” Loud, insistent, incessant. “Take the blame. Hate yourself. If you love your life, you’ll lose it. Take the blame. Take the blame. End … Continue reading →

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Floating

Posted on September 11, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

  I notice a sinking feeling. Argh! This isn’t what I want. I tread water, grope for a footing. Then, I notice, as I do the next thing–chop the carrots and onions– and the next–answer that email–I’ve floated past the obstacle. … Continue reading →

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Prayer for a Free Heart

Posted on September 4, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

  Create in me a free heart, O God, a heart that welcomes every part of myself to be felt, seen and heard, a heart that sees You in creation and loves every bit of You. May I receive love … Continue reading →

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I Hear Her

Posted on August 28, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

  The image of a child crying in the back seat of my car enabled me to move from trying to silence my anxiety to having compassion for a young part of myself. Over the next few days, I listened … Continue reading →

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Save Us

Posted on August 8, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

  Yesterday, we returned home from camping in the Kootenays.Today, I’m baking bread, and Fred is vacuuming out the car.I wish he could vacuum up the smoke and everyone were safe at home. One hundred and four wildfires are actively … Continue reading →

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Falling in Love

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

Nothing is more practical thanfinding God, thanfalling in Lovein a quite absolute, final way …Fall in Love, stay in love,and it will decide everything.–Joseph Whelan, SJ  I need to find andfall in love with God in an absolute, final way. … Continue reading →

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A Contemplative in the Kitchen

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

I forget that I’m sort of on the autism spectrumuntil I walk into a room full of activity with a job to do,and I’m overwhelmed. It’s my turn to make dinner:pizza and salad for twenty family members in a foreign … Continue reading →

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Finding Us

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

What did I hear in that note that stunned me and sent me into the sock drawer, consumed with anger and hate?   I heard: You are not enough, just as I had begun to skip along trusting that I was.  As I walked with … Continue reading →

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Double Dutch

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

It’s bad enough when awareness comes  in a look or a wondering with space to soften and say farewell to what I thought was real.  But when I’m up to 97, 98, 99, 100 in Double Dutch  and the blunt end raps my knuckles, stuns my … Continue reading →

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Realignment

Posted on May 2, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

After thirteen days away, (a dozen visits with friends and family, six ferries, one airport, a drive through downtown Vancouver, retreating on Galiano and leading a retreat on Bowen), I looked forward to coming home to home, to my Fred,my kitchen, my … Continue reading →

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