Tag Archives: Hafiz

What Brought You Here?

“What brought you here?” you may ask. How was I able to finally lose weight and take better care of my body? Now that’s a long story, and you’d need to read my books and blog posts to follow my … Continue reading

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The Fourth Event

On Sunday, we celebrate Pentecost, the fourth big event chronicled in the New Testament. Christmas names the first one: the incarnation of Christ. God comes into our lives–into our joy and suffering. They called him Immanuel, “God with us.” Reading the … Continue reading

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What My Heart Wanted to Hear

  A friend asked if I had written any poems about loneliness. I hadn’t. Then I listened to Brad Aaron Modlin’s poem “What You Missed That Day You Were Absent from Fourth Grade” and Pádraig Ó Tuama talk about it. … Continue reading

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The Best Day Ever

This is the second post about what happened on my 8-day silent retreat in July. If you haven’t read last week’s post, I encourage you to do that before you read today’s. “I’d like you to pray the third exercise … Continue reading

Posted in Childhood, Ignatian Spirituality, Prayer, Reflections, Seed Cracked Open, Spiritual Direction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Inseparable

Fred and I gathered on Vancouver Island with family and friends of my nephew Lee to spread his ashes. Some came just for the ceremony, some for a few days and, others, like us, stayed for the whole week to … Continue reading

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Advent II: Yearning

Instead of the usual Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, I have chosen different words for each week in Advent this year. A few weeks ago Fred and I had a Groupon for a restaurant in the Vancouver’s West End. We … Continue reading

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Don’t Do a Thing

My Eight-Day Retreat: Part 2 “I don’t enjoy praying for a whole hour,” I admitted to Father Roshan on the third morning of my eight-day retreat. His eyes widened for half a second. But he didn’t question me. He just … Continue reading

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Led Into the Storm

If you haven’t already noticed, I love efficiency. I often look back on the chaotic, haphazard way I’ve arrived at a solution and–with a sigh–see a simpler, more direct route. It’s easy to assume that I did something wrong, it’s … Continue reading

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Flies and Cold Fish

I’ve been doing too much, thinking too much. I’m so full of thoughts about what I have to do, my prayer times are inundated with them. I try to push them away, but each one promises to be the thought that will … Continue reading

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Loving Certain People

“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

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