Category Archives: compassion

The Infinite Love that Loves Us So Unexplainably

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

For the past three months, James Finley has been my spiritual guide. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I walk in a nearby park and listen to a podcast from Turning to the Mystics. Then I sit … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Creation, Mystical, Reflections | Tagged blackberries, Center for Action and Contemplation, centering prayer, discouragement, Ed Dahl, Esther Hizsa, James Finley, pet iguana, reptiles, Romans 12:12, self-compassion, Snappy Goat, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, Turning to the Mystics | Leave a comment

Borderline

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

On a run, I wondered what I would share for my check-in that afternoon at the peer supervision group I attend with other spiritual directors. Typically when we check in, we don’t just share what’s at the surface of our … Continue reading →

Posted in autism, compassion, Mindfulness, Reflections, Stories | Tagged ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Borderline, Devil's Backbone, Dr. Shaun Murphy, Esther Hizsa, Gustave Thibon, Katherine May, Kristin Neff, Mitch Barrie, self-compassion, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Electricity of Every Living Thing, The Good Doctor | 3 Comments

It’s Time to Sing the Mourning Songs

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Take a moment and listen to the experience of Emma Baker, a 84-year-old survivor of the Kamloops residential school. I knew about the residential schools and how bad things were, but this hits harder than any of the presentations, courses, … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Justice, Reflections, Stories | Tagged 215 First Nations' children buried, Abigail Echo-Hawk, Anglican Diocese of New Westminster, Emma Baker, Esther Hizsa, Ginger Gosnell-Myers, Kamloops Residential School, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver | Leave a comment

Love Your Body Now

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Let me share my earworm. It’s a riff of a Backstreet Boy’s song Everybody (yeah, yeah)Love your body (yeah, yeah)Love your body now. Adam Sud should have died. Seriously addicted to amphetamines and fast foods, his body and soul were … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, compassion, Overeating, Reflections | Tagged 1 John 3:1, Adam Sud, Backstreet Boys, caring for your body, Cassandra Speaks, Elizabeth Lesser, Esther Hizsa, Food Revolution Network, Food Revolution Summit, John Robbins, love your body, Matthew 22:39, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver | Leave a comment

The Song That Is My Life

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Do not try to savethe whole worldor do anything grandiose.Instead, createa clearingin the dense forestof your lifeand wait therepatiently,until the songthat is your lifefalls into your own cupped handsand you recognize and greet it.Only then will you knowhow to give … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, compassion, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Action against Asian racism, Burnaby Inter-Faith Committee, Burnaby Together, Elton Fernandes, Esther Hizsa, Frederick Buechner, Girl Seated by Water, James Finley, Jan L. Richardson, Martha Postlethwaite, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, spiritual director Burnaby, Stand with Asians Coalition, Svein Halvor Halvorsen, Teresa of Avila, The Clearing, Turning to the Mystics, Two hands one cup | 2 Comments

Now I See

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

. . . we attribute authority to [our weaknesses] to name who we are, and they don’t because only love has the authority to name who we are. –James Finley, Turning to the Mystics Thomas Merton 4 My weaknesses don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, False Self, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged dark view in trees, Demetri Dourambeis, Esther Hizsa, Isaiah 30:15-18, James Finley, Let there be light, Radical Compassion, Radical Compassion Challenge, Sounds True, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Sylvia Sassen, Tara Brach, Thomas Merton, true self, Turning to the Mystics | 4 Comments

What Brought You Here?

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

“What brought you here?” you may ask. How was I able to finally lose weight and take better care of my body? Now that’s a long story, and you’d need to read my books and blog posts to follow my … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Lent, Mindfulness, Overeating, Reflections, Resource, Spiritual Direction, Stories, Writing | Tagged alicia.kowalski, Anthony de Mello, arriving, Brad Yates, Brene Brown, Cheryl Richardson, Crispin Semmens, Donna Varnau, Esther Hizsa, Food Revolution Network, Glennon Doyle, Hafiz, Ignatius, Jessica Ortner, Journey's End, Justin Michael Williams, Kristin Neff, Mary Mrozowski, Nick Ortner, One year nearer to heaven, Pema Chodron, perfect peaches, plant-based diet, Radical Compassion, Redeemed & Forgiven, Richard Rohr, Rosie the Riveter, Rumi, Sounds True, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Stephen Pougas, Steve Bell, Tara Brach, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas keating, Thomas Quine, Valarie Kaur, weight loss, Yoga with Adriene | Leave a comment

What Story Do You Need to Return to?

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

“Something in you gets irritated when you think about anyone being a victim,” Donna said in a focusing session hours after I wrote last week’s blog post. “Yes. It’s like a painful ball in my throat.” “You might want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, compassion, Lent, Mystical, Prayer, Reflections, Spiritual Direction | Tagged Cloud of Unknowing, Donna Varnau, Esther Hizsa, focusing, Jaison Cianelli, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Hard Lesson, Thomas Hawke, Warm Embrace, William-Adolphe Bouguereau | 2 Comments

What Are You Unwilling to Feel?

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

I can’t stand it when someone goes into victim mode and defends their right to be there. The story goes something like this. “This woman cut in line in front of me after I’d been standing there for fifteen minutes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, compassion, Lent, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged a girl with her cat, Crosspatch, Esther Hizsa, James Finley, Mrs eNil, Niels Kliim, See No Stranger, self-compassion, Sounds True, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Tami Simon, Tara Brach, The Axiial Moment of Healing, Valarie Kaur | 3 Comments

Let

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, and God saw that the light was good. God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters” and “let the water under the sky be … Continue reading →