My Imaginary Meditation Space I'm heading into my fourth year of mindful blogging. At the start of a new year, I like to revisit the building blocks of a daily meditation practice. Let's start with establishing a mindful home. Abiding in the here and now happens on 3 dimensions: 1. Physical space 2. Inner landscape 3. Home base Physical space means creating a peaceful spot within your dwelling. This could be a quiet corner in a room with natural light, a comfortable ch

This was a hard year! I am so grateful for mindfulness. It was my steady refuge. These are the images I shared week after week. Thank you for coming along for the journey. We need each other more than ever. Practice If you click on an image, you can revisit the reflection for that week. Take a moment to scroll through them all. Select an image that captures your attention and let me know if the corresponding reflection speaks to you. Come back tomorrow and the day after and t

Usually I think of a moment as lasting but a breath. But as we reflect on this closing season of mindfulness, a moment could be an hour, a year, or a lifetime. Today, let's think of 2025 as a passing moment. In today's practice, we'll follow the guidance of Jack Kornfield and reflect on this year using these questions: Did I live fully? Did I love whole-heartedly? Did I learn to let go? Practice You may want a paper and pen, a journal, or something to capture your thoughts. S

The season repeats and is not the same.  The day repeats and is not the same.  The breath repeats and is not the same. Beginnings and endings appear like opposites  and yet one is needed for the other.  Each contains the other.  Sometimes there are moments of insight and clarity  and probably more often uncertainty and unknowing. Even in the midst of terrible disaster,  there is the calm before the storm  and stillness in the eye of the hurricane,  places of refuge in the cle

I take my breath for granted. Maybe because it is so close to me, I don't even notice it most of the time. But if I stop long enough to think about it just for a moment, I realize it is a mystery. I breathe all day long but I don't really know how my lungs and my diaphragm oxygenate my body. Sometimes in meditation I follow my breath, hold my breath, count my breaths. I act like it is something I control and am in charge of, but in reality, my breath holds me. It carries me t

My holiday cactus is in full bloom. Beauty filled my week as I connected with family and friends. Each day I set an intention to let others know how much I valued their presence in my life. Mindfulness helped me to show up more fully, listen more deeply, and appreciate time shared together. Here's the prayer by Christina Baldwin, we used to bless our table and all those around it. Dear and beloved stranger, Please eat this food with us, that we may all be nourished. Please s

I tend to meditate in the morning. I begin by sitting upright in a chair, with feet on the floor, shoulders pulled back slightly to open my chest, hands resting in my lap or one hand on my heart, and eyes closed. I then tune into my listening self and pay attention to whatever is showing up in the moment. I sense the breath. It tells me I am alive. My weight in the chair and the pressure of my feet on the floor tell me that I'm physically here and part of creation. My open he

I took this aerial photo of an archipelago when flying over the Bahamas. I love the play of water, light and sand. Lately it feels like I've been caught in an unending storm. Dark days continue to appear on the horizon. It leaves me wondering if we'll ever regain what we've lost. It is easy to give way to despair and pessimism. None of us can survive day in and day out, if all we see is doom. I've been feeling it. How about you? I believe the antidote is joy. We each need to

I'm doing an awful lot of waiting these days: Waiting for the Government to open up Waiting at the airport for a flight to leave Waiting for a buyer to make an offer on our DC house Waiting for a baby to be born Waiting for the next season Waiting for the other shoe to drop And I don't like it at all. I suppose I'm not alone in this. Mindfulness encourages me to reframe these days of waiting into something different. When I want answers today, can I allow myself to abide in t

I'm leaning into the season and taking a lesson from the Autumn leaves. In these times of uncertainty, my natural inclination is to cling to my side of the story, the security of my job, my long held beliefs, in search of a solid place to stand. Unfortunately, everything feels like shifting sand. Maybe it's time for a change in perspective. The leaves are so beautiful, so brilliant, so temporary. They teach us that everything changes. In autumn, nature says to let go of what

I'm on retreat at the Omega Institute. Here's my view this morning. Consider this email my postcard to you from the Hudson Valley. I wish you were here. I'm surrounded by the beauty of nature. I'm meditating with close friends, favorite teachers, and hundreds of good hearted people. It is exactly what my soul needs in these troubled days. I'm taking a little time to rest and recharge. I hope you're finding ways to take care of yourself. Practice Now that you've checked out yo

Sometimes you just need a hug. This has been one of those months. So many of you responded to last week's reflection with thoughtful words of support. Friends have been equally kind. Today, Catherine, my friend whom I haven't seen in months, gave me the best hug ever. No little pat on the back, this was a full-body embrace that spoke in a language beyond words. Some of the hardness shielding my heart simply melted. Please, please, please, find someone to hug this week. It wil

Just a couple days ago, Patrick and I celebrated our anniversary. 27 years ago, in front of our family and friends, we vowed to make our...

Last week I shared a photo of a mountain landscape from the Olympic Peninsula. This week's photo highlights a magnificent plant from...

View from Weasel Hollow, where I stayed with friends in the Olympic Peninsula. Recently, I've been visiting various friends throughout...

Did you ever get lost in the wonder of the night sky? Or sit around a campfire, warmed by the glow of the fire, filled with a deep sense...

The Abbey of the Genesee is one of the first monasteries I visited as a young man in Western New York. I can still recall the smell of...

Franciscan monastery in Killala, Ireland from the 16th century Most people I know are way too busy. We are constantly going from texts to...

Sunrise at Rehoboth Beach When I was a Franciscan novice, a bell called us to prayer every morning, noon, evening, and night. Back then,...

Lance-leaved coreopsis I spent this past week at a friend's vacation home in New Hampshire. First thing in the mornings, I walked down to...