We may not be big . . .
“We may not be big, but we’re small.” That’s the motto for the Vinyl Café, a fictional, used-record shop at the centre of a collection of stories by the late Canadian broadcaster and author Stuart McLean. Stuart’s stories are celebrated for their warmth, humour, and gentle reflections on everyday life. Vinyl Café tales spring from […]
The Solstice is coming
June 1, 2025 Dear Friends, Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice is upon us. Marking the seasonal and celestial turning of The Wheel is meaningful to many of us in ways that seem to draw on ancient pathways of knowing and relating to the natural world—connecting me to something beyond myself, my daily existence in […]
Just Listening
April 17, 2025 I was out walking yesterday afternoon, rolling around in my mind what to write about listening and our upcoming listening circles. As luck would have it, I encountered a friend I hadn’t seen for some time. And of course, we got to chatting. I don’t think she would mind if I told […]
Connecting
March 10, 2025 How’s the weather where you are? Here in Toronto, it feels like spring is emerging. We’ve had clear, brilliant skies and warm sun on our backs. Snow drops and crocuses are pushing aside winter’s detritus. Some days, the temperature plummets, catching us off guard in light jackets and no gloves. Other times, […]
Finding a little peace
January 24, 2025 Wow. The world is a lot right now. You know what I mean? I’m finding it hard to feel settled, amidst it all. Hard not to be drawn into worry, despair. I decided not to look at the news for a bit. But it creeps in, you know? Two nights […]
Re Kindling Joy
December 10, 2024 We’ll be honest: in a world filled with so much heaviness, joy can feel like a tall order. But maybe that’s exactly why it matters so much. Listen to the artist René Magritte, after living through two world wars he wrote: “Experience of conflict and a load of suffering has taught me […]
Hope
We may be living through times of unprecedented change, but in uncertainty lies the power to influence the future. Now is not the time to despair, but to act. ~Rebecca Solnit It seems like precisely the moment to be thinking about hope. While we never truly know what tomorrow holds, right now the future seems […]
A Hidden Wholeness
“There is in all things . . . a hidden wholeness. There is in all things an inexhaustible sweetness and purity, a silence that is a foundation of action and joy. It rises up in gentleness and flows out to me from the unseen roots of all created beings.” ~ Thomas Merton Hagia Sophia. Parker […]
Catching Sight . . .
“When we catch sight of the soul, we can become healers in a wounded world – in the family, in the neighborhood, in the workplace, and in political life – as we are called back to our “hidden wholeness.” ~Parker Palmer A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to spend some time at a […]
Wonder: an online Circle of Trust®
Yesterday I was gathering the materials for Sunday’s Circle of Trust® focusing on wonder. It was pretty easy to be filled with wonder, I’ll tell you, so many lovely things to stir mystery and appreciation: the bluest sky streaked with gentle clouds, trees with halos of pale green leaves, the air soft and sweet, and […]