Category Archives: Uncategorized

This is the text of the sermon I offered to the good folks of the Westside UU Congregation in West Seattle, Washington on December 27th, 2020. I served WSUU as their Director of Religious Exploration from 2005 through 2012 and had a very loving leaving. The people of this congregation are so dear to myContinue reading “Atonement: Coming Home to Ourselves”

This is the text of a sermon I shared on December 6th at the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation. You can watch it here and if you click through be sure to listen to the offering song performed by Randee Wilhelm and Troy Fisher that starts at the 40 minute mark, it is profoundly beautiful. ItContinue reading “Wintering: the turn toward resting and rooting”

I have always believed that I am terrible at keeping a spiritual practice. Isn’t keeping a spiritual practice sitting on a meditation cushion for the same amount of time every day over and over again? Aren’t you supposed to become enlightened and ethereal. I mean, I always thought maybe your skin starts to glow andContinue reading “Sleepless Night? Or Dancing with the Divine?”

They said you were wrong.  They don’t remember doing the thing that hurt you. They wrote the thing, signed the letter, spoke the harmful words.  You are smashed, ripped open, raw.  I promise, precious one, you are going to be OK. It’s going to be good, again. No winning, no losing. But a good fierce OK. Continue reading “A Good Fierce OK”

Originally published on Chalice Spark, 10/13/16 One page, One day. Move on. Today is cooler and my chair is a little wet from the dew. The prayer flags flow gently back and forth. I sit alone, here, but my ancestors are before me. My sister women around me. My animal friends padding around, sniffing andContinue reading “So We May Begin”

This morning in my effort to avoid being productive, I circled through my touchstones of life guides on social media. Ann Lamott, Elizabeth Gilbert, I can’t do the Love Warrior anymore but I have found a fresh voice in Elissa Altman. This morning she wrote something just to me and closed with “you are worthyContinue reading “The To-Do List”

“Um, will this be together?” This happens to us all the time. Every week. Sometimes more than once a day. Even living just outside of both LA and Seattle hasn’t prevented the head tilt, quick evaluation by baristas, bartenders, servers and doctors. At the coffee shop, grocery store, bar, doctor’s office; people are always askingContinue reading ““Yep, thanks, we’re together.””

I know. Another voice reacting to the ringing bell of depression and death by suicide. Who needs it? I don’t know. Maybe someone. Maybe you. Maybe me? I live with depression. I know you might, or maybe you know someone who does. It’s a real thing. I am not always depressed, but I always knowContinue reading “A Few True Things: Depression”