Tag Archives: Esther Hizsa

Where I Am

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” sings Andy Williams over the store’s loud speakers. I can’t get out of the mall fast enough. On my walk home, I remember that it’s the second week of Advent, and we still haven’t put up our … Continue reading

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This Annunciation

This Annunciation I was the angel chosen to greet the one with God in her womb. Light illuminated her face her hands her words light warm with wonder hushed  held my soul yet no Fra Angelico will ever paint this annunciation … Continue reading

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God Desires Us

“You can’t catch the Macdonald bus here,” a man says to me at the VCC-Clark Skytrain Station in Vancouver. “You need to go up to Clark.” I hurry up Sixth Avenue. It’s early Saturday morning and I need to get to … Continue reading

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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

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“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

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DIY Retreat #5: When Israel Was a Child I Loved Her

Here is another one-day prayer/silent retreat outline in the Ignatian tradition prepared by my friend Joy Richardson, a spiritual director in Coquitlam. You can find other  outlines under resources.  Here’s an introduction. “When Israel Was a Child I Loved Her…” Welcome God’s Presence … Continue reading

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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

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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

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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

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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

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