“In the mid-nineties in reading about the Hubbell telescope sending back a picture of a nickel-sized piece of the sky, they had found twenty million new galaxies.”   “Now we have pictures of billions of galaxies—not solar systems, galaxies. And the universe continues to expand. I sometimes wonder how people…

I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the…

We all cannot do great things but we all can do little things with great love. Mother Teresa “Mother Teresa was born in Albania, however she lived most of her life in India and is now declared Saint Teresa. This touched me because I’ve come to realize that you don’t…

Teach us to care and not to care. Teach us to sit still. T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) Poet, Essayist and author of Ash Wednesday: Six Poems   “I’ve thought about these two lines many times. Right there we have the combination of compassion and equanimity. Teach us to care. Teach us…

I tell you this to break your heart, by which I mean only that it break open and never close again to the rest of the world. Mary Oliver, Poet “I love Mary Oliver and so much of her writing is evocative for me and helps me to drop into…

  In order to find God, you must welcome everything. Rabindranath Tagore (1883-1902) Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. “When I awakened out of the dream state of ego identity or separate self, my experience, my direct lived experience was leading…

Knowing that you love the Earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the Earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street to a sacred bond. Robin Wall Kimmerer author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific…

What a wonderful life I’ve had. I only wish I‘d realized it sooner. Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) French author and woman of letters. Author of the 1944 novella Gigi   “I find this quote so moving, partially because of my stage of life and realizing what a wonderful life I’ve had.…

In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities. But in the expert’s, there are few.  Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (1904-1972) Founder of San Francisco Zen Center and author of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind “Zen practice is about bringing your mind to the present moment, not thinking about what you expect to…

A Psalm When psalms surprise me with their music And antiphons turn to rum The Spirit sings: the bottom drops out of my soul And from the center of my cellar, Love, louder than thunder Opens a heaven of naked air. The opening of a poem written by the Trappist…