November 2021 – Joy of the Journey

Alive

Layers of pink petals stack together like a miniature cake, Each inner layer higher than the last. The delicacy of the rose feeds my hungry soul. These sturdy flowers have outlasted the asters, mums, and sugar maples. Their ruddy and fuchsia complexions Warm my heart as I run in November. Even as November ends, rosesContinue reading “Alive”

A Sleight of Heart

Mark 13:1-8 Look! Magician Nate Staniforth displays a five-rupee cointo a stranger on the streets of India. Nate shows the five-rupee coin andthen closes his hand over it. With a magical sleight of hand,Nate maneuvers the coin within his fingers. When he opens up his hand,the coin is gone. It has vanished. Ahmed, the strangerContinue reading “A Sleight of Heart”

November Roses

This Friday, I drove to the Arnold Arboretum to see their roses. As I travel, I vividly imagine the encounter: the smell of the ‘Ausblush’ rose, the neon pink of the ‘Chuckles’ rose, the delicate yellow petals of the ‘Julia Child’ rose. I have followed these flower friends since their first bloom in June. (SeeContinue reading “November Roses”

Simplicity

How do we get to the joy of the journey? Sometimes, it feels like joy is covered over by so much stuff. This week I have been listening to the song “Greed” by Sweet Honey in the Rock. (Listen here.) They sing, “Greed is sneaky / Hard to detect in myself / I see it so clearly in everybody else.” Greed is sneaky.Continue reading “Simplicity”

Listen!

Mark 12:28-34 (Watch the video here.) Listen, Israel. Listen, Israel:Our God is the one God,and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,with all your being, and with all your strength. These are the words of Deuteronomy 6:4-9,also known as the shema. It’s called the shema because in Hebrew the text starts,Shema, Yisrael! Which is Listen,Continue reading “Listen!”