Directing our efforts to achieve what we aspire to
I aspire to be a good gardener, growing herbs, vegetables, trees, shrubs, and flowers—but often fall short. Plants die or out-compete others, are overtaken by weeds, and suffer from heat, cold, lack of rain or too much. Although the forces of nature are out of our...
Without rain, we would not be grateful for sunshine
We’ve had a lot of sunshine for the past several weeks here at Vanaprastha. Though the days have been pleasant, we pray for rain. Metaphorically speaking, it might seem strange to wish for something that can cause gloom or pour down destruction. But without the...
Rooms, dreams, and other hidden things
Richard Rohr in Things Hidden: Scripture As Spirituality: “People want their lives and history to be predictable and controllable, and the best way to do that is to try to control and even manipulate the gods.” One pre-dawn morning, I dreamed about hosting an Open...
I am not quick to move, do, or understand in a short period of time
A quick glance at the pictures our landscaper sent, and I knew I’d be moving wood for at least a month. One log per day. Chores are not quick The logs were from a tree that went down over the trail up the mountain behind our house and from trees that were also in...
To whom do we owe something on Memorial Day?
To owe something to someone. On Memorial Day when I was growing up, we always drained the muddy water and scrubbed algae from the walls of the 45’x90’ spring-fed pool my father had built for the neighborhood the year before I was born. Everyone pitched in despite...
Being a parent and grandparent in the third chapter of life
As others posts pictures of their children’s college graduations—the entry into the second chapter of life—Keith and I are enjoying some third-chapter-of-life fruits. I’ve written about finding purpose in the third chapter of life and some of the insights one gains...