Egos get a bad rap. Most certainly it’s my ego that urges me to do a reading in the iconic Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. Mingling my words with legendary authors was my goal. Then I will feel like a “real author.” Thwarted attempts to read inside the bookshop leads to my “Occupy Shakespeare and […]

Resolutions were something I kept to myself. The 5 pounds I was going to lose by March, the money I was going to save and my pledge to work out five days a week were secretly held. Resolve was often strong in early January. By month’s end frequent snacking returned, purchases robbed the piggy bank

Yogi brand teabag tags have wonderful little sayings. I love discovering them as I drop a teabag into a waiting cup of hot water. They are cosmic communications from the great beyond — fortune cookie messages for the soul. Today at the Unfolding retreat I read one and have a different response. Maybe because hesitance in claiming

Even though the subtitle of my book contains the phrase “Slow  Down ” I have been a terrible example of this wisdom. All those boxes on my calendar look so open and the little words I type in seem possible. Celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary by spending two weeks in France was wonderful.  It was

An early morning kitchen can be a cozy nest.  Baked apples and bread pudding, from last night’s dessert, leave droplets of delight on every air molecule. But, shining plates and silverware, fresh from the dishwasher, show no signs of last night’s shared meal. Centuries of women cooking and feeding others walk with me as I

Securing the Chinese coin in the center of the stone, I wrap the leather cord around once and add a bead and then twelve small metal washers. Two more times around the stone and then up through the middle where I fasten it with a knot.  Smooth. Cool. A talisman of comfort now nestles perfectly

Dark stillness encourages problems to expand until they fill the emptiness of night. It’s 2:32 AM. I’m tossing and turning. Twisted covers lay at my feet. Anxieties about my children, grandchildren, Don, or a friend vex me. Sunshine will dissipate some of my worries, but for now I can’t shake them. I’m concerned about a

You might recognize the bench shown here.  It sits outside Uncommon Grounds Café in Saugatuck, Michigan.  Twice a year, spring and fall, I guide women’s retreats in this charming town.  Creativity flourishes in this artist’s community. Chattering minds drop away.  Hearts crack open.  Writing deepens. All is aided by the surrounding natural beauty of Saugatuck

Mystery lives in petal rich places like the heart of a rose. Chopping veggies in the ashram kitchen was my favorite job.  The sous chef would put a piece of potato in front of me and say, “This is your model, replicate it.”  Then for hours I’d stand chopping and measuring until I re-created hundreds

Compassion is my intention for 2014. This is the quality of being deeply connected to the struggles of others. Each January women, in the circles I guide, select an intention to use as a touchstone. Intentions don’t always rarely take us where we expect to go. This year is no exception. Compassion stirs images of the Dalai