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Category Archives: Stories
Undoing My Life
I’m still thinking about the “Oh, no!” I heard when a toy car went over the edge of the coffee table and crashed. I imagine that a lot actually, when I fear going over the edge of acceptance and falling into a pit of rejection. Many things–gaining weight, … Continue reading →
Posted in Popular Posts, Poverty of Spirit, Stories
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Tagged Cerus Scarf, Deb Arndt, Esther Hizsa, Jagrap, Jeff Imbach, La Marseillaise, let go of identity, Living from the Heart, rejected one, Roberto Ferrari, Sottosopra, SoulStream, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Tony & Wayne, Undoing
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6 Comments
“Oh, No!”
When our grandson was a preschooler, he loved to line up his toy cars on the coffee table. He and his dad would drive them around imitating the sounds of engines starting, horns beeping and tires squealing. Inevitably, they would … Continue reading →
Posted in Popular Posts, Reflections
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Tagged car crash, Donald Lee Pardue, Esther Hizsa, fear, grief, loss, madais, Nan C. Merrill, psalm 91, Psalms for Praying, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Stone Angel
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3 Comments
Calling Forth the Divine
Mom with Harry, Ron, me, and Sylvia in 1959 My parents were married on November 1, 1952, three weeks after Mom landed in Canada. Six years later, at the age of twenty-five, she had four children to look after and business accounts … Continue reading →
Love Decides Everything
Mom and Dad met one day when she brought milk on a dog-cart to the cheese factory where my dad worked, near her family’s farm in a village outside Zürich. She was seventeen, smart and beautiful; he was twenty-three, strong, handsome and … Continue reading →
Spinning and Waiting
Ever since my book’s come out, I’ve been feeling anxious and vulnerable. I prayed for God’s comfort and the images of the Mountain Ash tree and the Salzburg Cross, and Hafiz’s love poem came to me. I sensed God saying, … Continue reading →
Weighted Blessing
The Mountain Ash tree in my parents’ backyard was heavily laden with berries. There must have been two hundred clusters of them. “Won’t they make a big mess when they fall off?” I asked my eighty-seven-year-old father. Dad reassured me that … Continue reading →
Posted in Poetry, Poverty of Spirit, Stories
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Tagged Amanda Graham, Cedar Wax Wing, Elizabeth McKitrick, Hafiz, JPC.raleigh. Randen Pedersen, Just Sit There Right Now, Martha Carlough, Mountain Ash, Salzburg Cross, Second Nature Home, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver
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Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim is available!
I am excited to announce that my book, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, has been published and is available! To celebrate this long-awaited moment, today’s post is the first story in the book. Here’s more about how you can get a copy. … Continue reading →
Posted in Childhood, Homelessness, Popular Posts, Prayer, Stories, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim
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Tagged Bowen Island, Burnaby Task Force on Homelessness, Esther Hizsa, Homelessness Action Week, Psalm 84:5, Regent College, retreat, Rivendell, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, Wanda Mulholland
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2 Comments
Balancing the Impossible
I’m becoming wary of my false self and its admirable intentions. Now, when I think about doing something good, I ask myself why I’m doing it. Is it to enhance my reputation, bring personal gain, or help me feel good? Or am … Continue reading →
Posted in False Self, Ignatian Spirituality, Poverty of Spirit, Spiritual Direction, Stories
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Tagged Burning Bush, David L. Fleming SJ, Esther Hizsa, false self, Ignatian Sprititual Exercises, Luke 1:37, Mark 10:17-31, Micahel Cook, Principle and Foundation, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim
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Gravity
“I’ve looked at your x-rays, and your teeth are fine,” the dentist said. “That toffee didn’t do any harm?” I read the look on his face. “I worry too much,” I said. He nodded. He’s right. I do worry too much. I … Continue reading →
Posted in False Self, Spiritual Direction, Stories
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Tagged Esther Hizsa, false self, gravity, John 12;32, Jupiter, LLacertae, moon, mystical elegance, Night skies, planets, Sharen, spiritual direction, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, Thomas Bresson
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3 Comments
Life by Way of Mistakes
“Sell the painting that’s worth the most,” I coached our eight-year-old grandson. Methodically, he lifted each small masterpiece in front of him and peeked under them to see their value. He passed over a Cézanne, which I knew was worth ten million dollars because he … Continue reading →
An Everyday Pilgrim 