Category Archives: Stories

The Full Meal Deal

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Admit it. We all want the full meal deal: nine gifts of the Spirit, every fruit in a neat little package with our name printed on it and Christ, the only ingredient listed. We want what those people are having, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Poetry, Reflections | Tagged Esther Hizsa, It's Okay, Jayber Crow, Jonas Seaman, Nightbirde, Road to Nowhere, Sergio Boscaino, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Take Out, Transformation, Wendell Berry | Leave a comment

The Gift of Self-Awareness

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Lately, my self-awareness has risen to a whole new level. I swear there’s a little fellow deep inside me rummaging through all my crap and sending it up for me to look at. These “gifts” are about as attractive as … Continue reading →

Posted in autism, compassion, Prayer, Reflections, Spiritual Direction | Tagged Art Thompson, Caravaggio, Elizabeth of the Trinity, Esther Hizsa, Every Child Matters, Indian Residential School Survivors, James Finley, Revolutionary Love, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, Theron Trowbridge, Tsaqwasupp, Turning to the Mystics, Valarie Kaur | 2 Comments

Wrong Turns

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

“Are you okay?” the grey-haired man asked as I propped my bike against a hedge outside his yard. “Yes,” I said continuing to open the map on my phone. “Is this the way to Twin Lakes Road?” “No. You need … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Stories | Tagged California Quail, Cycling Oliver, Eastside Lake Road, Esther Hizsa, Living from the Heart, Okanagan Falls, Shellie, Skaha Lke, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Ted McGrath | Leave a comment

Here

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Sometimes being herefeels like I’m in the wrong placeas if I could look at a map and backtrackto where I’m supposed to be.But there’s no map for the contemplative journey,let alone my contemplative journey. “Here,” the wise ones say,“is the … Continue reading →

Posted in community, compassion, Poetry, Reflections | Tagged Alone, Esther Hizsa, Isaiah 66:13, Mark Harrington, Me too, Menachem Ganon, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver | Leave a comment

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

What You Didn’t Know When You Woke Up That Day

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Last week, I was in a classroom in Austin, Texas, where a girl who was apparently going through a really rough spell at home wrote a poem that was definitely tragic and comic both, about—everybody was yelling at her in … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Poetry, Reflections, Stories, Writing | Tagged Andy Langager, Esther Hizsa, Krista Tippett, Naomi Shihab Nye, On Being, Poetry, raccoon, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Sunrise, Valentine for Ernest Mann | 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

Love Letters from God

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

I’m here. I love you. I don’t care if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. If you need the medication again, go ahead and take it—I will love you through that, as … Continue reading →