Words from the Heart

Officially, I have been an interfaith minister for one week, today.  I am finding it surreal that, just seven days ago, I walked down the aisle of All Soul's Church in New York City, choking out the chorus of "Here I Am Lord."    Processing into Church This past week, I have meditated on how I got to this point in my journey.  I remembered the discussions, as I child, with Sister Superior.  She had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I told her a priest.  She said girls can't become priests; however, I could become a bride of Jesus by going into the convent.  No Way!  I didn't want to be married to Jesus, I wanted to be one of his buddies. Clearly, I had a lot of problems when I voiced this to Sister. Later in life, I continued to feel the calling to serve.  I looked at various programs, degrees, opportunities.  I did what I could, when I could but continued to feel that my calling was deeper.   As the...

Today, I am delighted to share the wit and wisdom of Pesi Dinnerstein (a.k.a. Paulette Plonchak), who has written selections for the best-selling series, Small Miracles , by Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal, and has contributed to several textbooks and an anthology of short stories. Pesi is a retired faculty member of the City University of New York, where she taught language skills for close to thirty years. Pesi's new book, A Cluttered Life: Searching for God, Serenity and My Missing Keys has just been released. In it she shares that she is a "self-acknowledged clutterer" who "has spent the better part of her life trying to get organized and out from under. Despite heroic efforts, she has not yet succeeded; but she continues to push onward, and hopes that her journey will inspire others to keep trying as well." Here are Pesi's thoughts on living without clutter ~~ I’ve always had a complicated and ambivalent relationship with my clutter, but it’...

Image via Wikipedia Dr. Wangari Maathai   The first time I heard the term, a force of nature, used to describe Nobel Peace Laureate , Wangari Maathai, I wondered if the writer was being derogatory. After all, I reasoned, a strong woman is often looked down on by those who fear her power.  However, as I learned more about this amazing woman, I realized that this was a term of endearment, a term of great honor. A force of nature...like a hurricane, tornado, or northeaster...Dr. Maathai swept into action creating a new world in her wake.  For the women whose lives she touched, she left confidence, hope for a brighter future, and the knowledge that the world could be different.  For the children whose lives she touched, she taught a love of the environment, a love of self and a love of each other.  For the men her life touched, she was the personification of Grace under pressure, Peace in the storm and Calm Assurance in the midst of chaos. Dr. Maathai's deat...