Words from the Heart

There are times when the serendipity of Life just blows me over. Today, I had the great pleasure of preaching at my friend Will's church. The theme for today's service was, "Be Love." The sermon spoke of how we are all called to Be Love in whatever manner we can. The sermon was well received, leaving me with a feeling of content accomplishment. Arriving home, I sat down to check what emails had come in over the past two days while I was gone. My eyes were immediately drawn to an email that seemed to stand out like a beacon of Light from the screen. My friend, Maithri, had written about the new non-profit organization he has started for the people in Swaziland. As I read his note and then traveled to the new website for Possible Dreams International (PDI), my heart filled with such joy. Here was an example of what I had been trying to share with the congregation at my friend's church. Maithri and the people who work with him, are all the personification of Lo...

When I was young, my mother would read Robert Frost's poetry to me as a treat. I always loved the pictures his words created in my mind. One of my favorite poems was, Mending Wall . On the surface, it is a story of how each spring the writer goes and mends the rock walls that have been toppled by the frost heaves of winter. However, the deeper meaning speaks to the reader of how we wall ourselves off from others, keeping people at bay so that they do not learn too much about us. I always felt sad when the neighbor in the poem says, "Good fences make good neighbors." It is clear that he is not interested in "how" the wall toppled, only that it be repaired as quickly and efficiently as possible. The writer on the other hand seems to enjoy musing on the various possibilities of the deconstruction...elves were always my choice! On a recent trip to South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, I took pictures of some of the rock walls which make up this community's boun...

Every once in a while, I am pleasantly surprised by a movie. Of late, there have been several which have just made me feel good, gave me something to think about and/or touched my heart in a way that I had not anticipated. The Soloist was a delightful surprise. Learning the premise of the movie...journalist finds homeless man and helps him out...I had my doubts that this was going to really touch on the issues behind homelessness. I was wrong, it gave an honest portrayal of homelessness as well as mental illness. In addition, if you get the DVD of this movie, I recommend watching the "Extras." There are several interviews with the actual people that inspired the movie. It is well worth the time taken to view these, also. As many of you may have already guessed, I am a hopeless romantic. That being said, I find it hard to get excited about most of the "love stories" out there in movie land. However, on occasion, I am left grinning from ear to ear in romantic ...

Since my last post, I have had numerous encounters with friends and family suffering from various types of loss. It occurred to me that my post on grief might be continued or expanded at this time to cover what is "loss" and why do we grieve. Loss is, according to the dictionary, "fact of losing or state of having been lost; that which is lost; defeat." Perhaps it is my "cup-half-full" philosophy, but I see loss as more of a catalyst for change, than a defeat. Let me explain... Within the past few years, three of my immediate family died. (My Mom, Dad and Brother) The loss of these family members has been the catalyst for awareness of how precious our time together is for many members of my family, including myself. Since these deaths, my relationship with a surviving brother and sister-in-law and several of my cousins has become closer. It reminds me of the old Carter Family hymn, "Will the Circle be Unbroken," which talks about how difficult...