Uprooted
In the fall before the pandemic hit, I planted a small Leyland cypress tree by the door to the driveway. Evergreen and fast-growing, it has thrived and is now amazingly beautiful — 12 feet tall, lushly branched, and fragrant. A cause for rejoicing, this exultant cypress has daily been an icon of strength and possibility for […]
A Mother’s Miracle
On the day I turned sixteen, I tasted freedom for the first time. With a brand new driver’s license in my wallet, and a car key in my hand, I carefully backed out of the driveway, into the expectant world that awaited me. During those first few days of liberty, my mother told me to go visit […]
The Hulled Heart
Today in an early morning dream I was addressed by a voice. It asked, “What are you doing?” and I answered, “I am hulling my heart.” The voice asked “Why?” and I answered, “I have need of a hulled heart.” I awoke, as I have so often this year, knowing that in my sleep I […]
In the Beginning
In the quiet of this morning I recall the prayer and gestures of the priest as he stands ready at the lectern before reading a gospel narrative each week. I make the sign of the cross on my forehead and say, dear God, may your Word be upon my mind; and then the gesture again […]