And what else can we do when the mysteries present themselves but hope to pluck from the basket the brisk words that will applaud them
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When you are secure in your soul, what's to fear? -Ram Das On a day like this when I have just been told that not one, but two people I love have just received the dreaded sentence: Incurable. And my hometown of Nashville is shrouded in grief for all the unnecessary
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Growing up my grandfather, Papa Charlie, would come over for dinner every Wednesday night. After a Southern feast of fried chicken, rice and gravy, butter beans, homemade biscuits and sweet tea, my five sisters and I would put on a lively performance for him. As I was the oldest, and
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"We are made for transcendence and endless horizons, but our small ego usually gets in the way until we become aware of its petty preoccupations and eventually seek a deeper truth. It is like mining for a diamond." -Richard Rohr This Summer, I was introduced for the first time to the
Continue ReadingEarth is crammed with Heaven -Elizabeth Barrett Browning I recently read an interview with an author I admire. He said his family plays a game at dinnertime called, "Crossing the Wonder Line." The object of the game is to take a review of one's day to recall a moment where you
Continue ReadingI have always loved trees: the prehistoric ginkgo, the Angel Oak, the sweet Southern magnolia, groves of olive trees and the elegant weeping willow, to just name a few. I fell in love with my husband hiking Sewanee's famous Perimeter trail beneath a fortress of pine trees. For my fortieth
Continue ReadingWe recently went on a family car trip to South Carolina. The Suburban was packed full with six kids, our golden retriever, "Teton," many bags of gold fish, juice boxes, peanut M&M's, sub sandwiches, crayons and coloring books, jellybeans galore, book bags, pillows and stuffed animals. When we returned to Nashville
Continue ReadingThe word "courage" comes from the French word "coeur" for heart. To exemplify courage means to see one's heart triumph over fear. Over Easter, I had a tussle with a bat. I have since become on a first name basis with the folks at DHEC. For those of you who are
Continue ReadingI sometimes think of myself as a spiritual magpie, always on the lookout for a bit of inspiration. If you visit my "nest" you will find the words of Jesus, lovely psalms, letters from St. Paul, commentaries from Thomas Merton, Barbara Brown Taylor and C.S. Lewis, even the poetry of Rumi.
Continue ReadingButtermoon Farm, Easter Homily 2017 Reflecting on Easter, it was Jesus's final and most revelatory words from the cross, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," that especially struck a chord with me this year. To "commend" means to entrust something precious to another's care with great confidence. Harper's Latin Dictionary
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