Category Archives: Prayer

With Christ, I Die

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.— Colossians 3:3 In the silence, I close my eyes and die. I release all I love, all I desire, all I wanted to do, all I wished to become, all that is not resolved. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Easter, Holy Week, Lent, Mindfulness, Mystical, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged Acts 17:28, Centre for Action and Contemplation, Colossians 3:3, Crucifixion of Christ, death, Earl, Esther Hizsa, extinguished, fear of death, Good Friday, James Finley, Mechthilde of Magdeburg, Psalm 23, Silence, silent prayer, Spiritual Director North Okanagan, Titan, Turning to the Mystics | Leave a comment

Another Disguise

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Esther Hizsa

God comes to you disguised as your life. –Paula D’Arcy Dust to dust is not nothing to nothing as if dust were not precious, as if returning to dust meant our lives didn’t matter, as if we could disappear without a trace, as if God could … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Lent, Mindfulness, Mystical, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged Bryon Lippincott, Dust to dust, Esther Hizsa, Ignatian Spiritual Excercises, Jenny Uhling, Living from the Heart, Paula D'Arcy, SoulStream, Spiritual Director North Okanagan, Spiritual Director Vernon, The Silence Within, Thich Nhat Hanh, Village School Cambodia | Leave a comment

Claim Your Home

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

The Spirit is the one who makes all things new, and everawaits our “Yes” to the Dance. … come. Claim your home in theUniversal heart.from Psalm 110, Nan C. Merrill, Psalms for Praying Hold…what happened lift it up in your cupped hands,up out … Continue reading →

Posted in community, compassion, Justice, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged Alexa Sunshine Rose, Alice Popkorn, Esther Hizsa, g, Ignatian Spiritual Excercises, Living from the Heart, Nan C. Merrill, Open My Heart, Psalm 110, Psalms for Praying, SoulStream, Spiritual Director North Okanagan, Spiritual Director Vernon, Uniiversal heart, Verbundenheit | Leave a comment

Expanding and Contracting

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.–John 6:24 I was in the crowd sitting on that grassy hillside. You fed us bread … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Mindfulness, Mystical, Poetry, Prayer, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Contract, Earhworm, Esther Hizsa, Expand, Feeding of Five Thousand, How Healing Comes, Ignatian Spiritual Excercises, John 6, Living from the Heart, Ostaleri, pcstratman, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, SoulStream, Spiritual Director North Okanagan, Spiritual Director Vernon | Leave a comment

You Belong

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

No one can near God unless He hasprepared a bed for you.A thousand souls hear His call every second,but most every one then looks into their life’s mirror andsays, “I am not worthy to leave this sadness.”–Teresa of Avila You … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Mystical, Poetry, Prayer, Praying with the Imagination, Stories | Tagged Advent, Advent Morning Retreat, Annunciation, Audrey Hoehn, Belovedness, Birds on a Wire, Brent Unrau, Daniel Ladinsky, Esther Hizsa, He Desired Me Sio I Came Close, Julie Falk, Love Poems from God, Open Gate, Sarah Kroger, SoulStream, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Teresa of Avila, Tym | 1 Comment

Amnesia

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

I sit down to pray disappointed that I didn’t have a better night’s sleep, frustrated that I still can’t get a handle on this. Compassion comes out of hiding,slips in beside me,leans her head on my shoulderand strokes my arm. … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, compassion, Poetry, Prayer, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Amnesia, Clint Budd, crom shin, Esther Hizsa, friends, Ignatian Spiritual Excercises, Isaiah 43:2-4, Living from the Heart, Luke 4:16-29, Matthew 28:20, Morning, SoulStream, Spiritual Director North Okanagan, Spiritual Director Vernon | Leave a comment

Crybaby

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Esther Hizsa

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.–Luke 4:1,2 (NIV) Three mornings in a row,I wake from vivid dreamsof what … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, compassion, Ignatian Spirituality, Poetry, Prayer, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Christian Asuh, Esther Hizsa, Ignatian prayer retreat, Ignatian Spiritual Excercises, Isaiah 40:11, Living from the Heart, Luke 4:14-21, Rivendell Retreat Centre, SoulStream, Spiritual Director North Okanagan, Spiritual Director Vernon | 5 Comments

Here Now

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Esther Hizsa

Between my father’s passingand the spreading of his ashes,my mother whispered to her husband,“I miss you.”I hear in her words how much he loved herand she, him. I think about my father with us nowas promised in scripture.In God, we live … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Mystical, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Acts 17:28, Calmness, Colossians 3:3, Drop, Esther Hizsa, Ignatian Spiritual Excercises, Jeremiah 31:3, Living from the Heart, Maria Eklind, Matthew 28:20, rjp, Romans 8:31-39, SoulStream, Spiritual Director North Okanagan, Spiritual Director Vernon | 1 Comment

The Way to Begin Anything

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Esther Hizsa

The way we would begin in prayer is that we belong to God. And all the prayer starts and unfolds out of that knowing that we belong to God. We are trying to get past the topic of prayer to … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Mindfulness, Poetry, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged A Coaching Session on Lectio, Conal Gallagher, Ernest Hawkes, Esther Hizsa, Jim Finley, Morning Sun, Parker Palmer, Psalm 121:1-2, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Thomas Merton, Vernon BC | Leave a comment

I Have Arrived

Posted on July 13, 2024 by Esther Hizsa

It was 38 degrees outside when I entered the cool of the seniors’ residence with a potted cyclamen for my mom. Yvonne, my favourite resident, asks “Do you ever stop?” I could have said, “Yes.” and told her about my quiet times and … Continue reading →