Category Archives: Stories

How the Light Gets In

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

On the afternoon before the opening weekend of Living from the Heart at Bethlehem Centre on Vancouver Island, I took a walk around Westwood Lake to allow my jostled soul to settle. That morning, I’d read the poem Vessel by … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged Anthem, Autumn sunrise, Esther Hizsa, Kevin Brown, Leonard Cohen, Living from the Heart, Martin LaBar, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Steve Garnaas-Holmes, Unfolding LIght, Vessel, Westwood Lake | Leave a comment

What Stillness Needs and Offers

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

When this post is published, I will be at Bethlehem Centre for the opening weekend of this year’s Living from the Heart. Last year we had a new team, new format, new location, and a new intern. It was also … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Mystical, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Bethlehem Retreat Centre, Esther Hizsa, jar of pond water, Living from the Heart, Psalm 46:10, Russell McNeil, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, stillness | 1 Comment

Old-Growth Forest

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

An old-growth forest. Yellow cedar, Sitka spruce, Douglas fir have been around for centuries, literally. Year after year, they cycle through the seasons and grow imperceptibly taller, more solid, roots extending. That is what I’m becoming. The slow pace of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Creation, Justice, Reflections | Tagged Bella Coola, Cathedral Grove, clear cut logging, Douglas Fir Trees, Drew Brayshaw, Esther Hizsa, Forestry in British Columbia, Genesis 1:11-12, Grant Hadwin, Hadwin's Judgement, John Vaillant, MacMillan Provincial Park, Miles Green, old-growt forest, rainforest, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Golden Spruce | Leave a comment

Decomposing

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

Where do I need to stay when everything in me wants to flee? As soon as I began asking myself this question, one answer came to me, but I wasn’t brave enough to write about it. Silence. Silence is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Prayer, Reflections, Spiritual Direction, Stories | Tagged artiplex, Brent Unrau, decomposing, Esther Hizsa, Joshua Mayer, Living from the Heart, Lois Elling, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, resurrection, Richard Powers, SJ, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Overstory, the slow work of God | 4 Comments

Seeking Truth and Reconciliation

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

September 30 is Orange Shirt Day. If Bill 369 passes in parliament, it will become National Truth and Reconciliation Day. This is a day to wear an orange shirt and renew our intention to acknowledge the violence done to others … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Ignatian Spirituality, Justice, Reflections, Stories | Tagged All My Relations, Being in the Now, Bill C-262, Bill C-369, Blood Quantum, Braiding Sweetgrass, Children of God, Doctrine of Discovery, Eckhart Tolle, Esther Hizsa, Ignatian retreat, Indian Horse, Mark 12:28-31, Monique Gray Smith, National Indigenous Peoples Day, National Truth and Reconciliation Day, native re-apporopriation, Oprah, Phyllis Webstad, Richard Wagamese, Robin Wall Kimmerer, SoulStream, Speaking Our Truth, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Blanket Exercise, Twila Savigny, Walk for Truth and Reconciliation | Leave a comment

Imperceptibly Shaped

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Mystical, Poetry, Reflections | Tagged All Points Land Design, chestnut tree, eltpics, Esther Hizsa, Javan Kerby Bernakevitch, Jo Tobias, permaculture, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, regenerative agriculture, Richard Powers, RootShootSoils, soil regeneration, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Need to Grow, The Overstory | 2 Comments

The Impermanence of Things

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

Fred and I are on vacation in the Okanagan. After we visited my parents in Vernon, we found a campsite north of Oliver. My first bike ride was on the spectacular Okanagan Rail Trail which is flanked by steep rock … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Anthony de Mello, ASD, Blueberry, Colleen MacDonald, Ecclesiastes 3:1, Esther Hizsa, Hannah Nieman, Let's Go Biking, nothing lasts forever, Okanagan Rail Trail, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, this too shall pass | 2 Comments

That Person

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

Where do I need to stay when everything in me wants to flee? Where do I need to leave when everything in me wants to stay? I’ve been thinking about these questions from last week’s post and Tara Brach’s invitation … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Brown deer, Chickpea, 紫流, deer, Devon Rockola, Ephesians 4:2, Esther Hizsa, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Sun Bo Kong, two friends, V-Cafe, Veganism, virtuous pie | Leave a comment

The Wisdom of Tara Brach and Pádraig Ó Tuama

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

Last week’s Love Mischief led me to a talk by Pádraig Ó Tuama. Before I had a chance to listen to it, this short video from Tara Brach landed in my inbox. What came up for me as I listened … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Mindfulness, Poetry, Prayer Retreat Outline, Reflections, Stories, Wednesday Lunch Club | Tagged Elizabeth Bowen, Esther Hizsa, Imagining Peace, In the Shelter, Joseph Campbell, Krista Tippett, On Being, Pádraig Ó Tuama, receptive presence, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Tara Brach, Travelling Light | 4 Comments

The Big Reveal

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Esther Hizsa

(Warning: This video contains strong language.) Comedian Hannah Gadsby begins her new show, Douglas, by telling her audience what to expect. “This way I can meet your expectations–or alter them,” she says with a smile. Gadsby goes on to say … Continue reading →