“To encourage joy creates joy. To promote peace brings peace. The act of being peaceful and spreading peace actually brings it about. It puts it out there into the earth, even if you can’t see it; a seed has been sown, and who knows when, where, or how that seed will take root and grow.”—Robert Muller
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”—Plato
I need a love that is troubled by injustice. — Austin Channing Brown
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a day of cleaning and relaxing
It has been a day with good news at rehab for Dad as he continues to improve
It has also been a day for missing my beloved
Tonight dinner and relaxing with very dear friends on their way home
Now Pixie and I are settled in bed and ready for sleep
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Lessons about love from a dying friend
Not long ago my friend F- received a terminal diagnosis. He didn’t know very much about his disease, so he went to the library and checked out a medical book about it… read further at:
Being at Peace
As I continue to recover from a long two-day journey I am thankful
I am thankful for my sweet wife and partner in life, love, and ministry
I am thankful for dear friends who offered an evening of reflection, stories, and laughter
I am thankful for a very dear Sister and our electronic conversation today
I am also thankful for a silly puppy who reminds me that it is time for bed
Thomas Merton’s words from his Collected Poems ring so true
Perhaps I am stronger than I think.
This is my prayer for my Dad, for Denise, for me, and for those whom I love
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“At every stage in human history, music has been a catalyst for change, challenging conventions and conveying coded messages—or, not infrequently, delivering blunt, unambiguous ones. It has given voice to individuals and groups denied access to other platforms for expression, so much so that, in many times and places, freedom of song has been as important as freedom of speech, and far more controversial.”—Ted Gioia
The sun has long ago set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
After a long, two-day journey, Pixie and I are back home
The past week has been stressful with hospitals, rehab facilities, and trying to help Dad navigate the system
And Lord, thank you for keeping me safe on roads filled with angry and inconsiderate drivers
Words cannot express how thankful I am for my dear wife and partner in faith and life, Denise
As she continues to help Dad, my prayer is that he will regain his strength
I am also thankful for two dear friends who were planning on spending the evening with us on their way to a funeral
Dinner was ready for me, along with wonderful conversation
Now as my incredibly sleepy eyes grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“With forests in danger
I vow with all beings
to raise hell with the people responsible
and slash my consumption of trees.”
—Robert Aitken
