Tag Archives: Dustin Gaffke

Tossed About

Posted on May 25, 2018 by

I think I’m doing fine until a miscommunication leads to a last-minute pick up from Sure Copy. Piles of photocopied class notes for the Living from the Heart course cover our dining room table. Hurriedly, I check, count, and paperclip each … Continue reading →

Posted in Homelessness, Ignatian Spirituality, Reflections, Wednesday Lunch Club | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Glorious Thing

Posted on January 12, 2018 by

Two days before Christmas, I’m praying with the story of the shepherds. I imagine myself on a hillside with them, but I’m unaffected by the angels’ song. The shepherds hurry off to see this glorious thing that has happened, but I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Praying with the Imagination, Reflections, Spiritual Direction, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Loving Certain People

Posted on March 3, 2017 by

“I love mankind. It’s people I can’t stand,” exclaimed Linus Van Pelt decades ago in the cartoon strip Peanuts. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say, “It’s certain people I can’t stand.” When I see certain people do things that annoy … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent, Poetry, Poverty of Spirit, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Shimmering Delight

Posted on May 13, 2016 by

In March I was able to get away to Bowen Island for a few days of solitude. Often when I retreat there, I sit in the cottage watching the rain come and go. But this time it was sunny and … Continue reading →

Posted in Mystical, Reflections, Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Deep Wisdom

Posted on September 4, 2015 by

Publishing the posts Being “That Woman” and God in the Dark: Theory left me feeling quite vulnerable to people’s reactions. Reason reminded me that God was with me, and I would be fine. But the little girl in me saw thick walls of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

God in the Dark: Theory

Posted on August 21, 2015 by

My biking siblings and me: Harry, Sylvia, me, and Ron Every couple of years my siblings, Fred and I go on a three-day bike trip. The first trip we biked from Banff to Jasper, the second was a 400 km section of … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Spiritual Direction, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Being “That Woman”

Posted on August 14, 2015 by

Am I afraid to be ordinary? It’s fun watching people who don’t know me come alive when I give a talk or facilitate a group. Before that moment, I blend into the crowd (in the photo above, I’m the short one in … Continue reading →

Posted in Poverty of Spirit, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Surfin’ USA

Posted on August 7, 2015 by

Here’s a story I wrote a few years ago that was published in the MB Herald. It’s also in my book, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, which will be available this fall. Fred and I sat contented on the beach and listened to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Stories, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments