did receive support." Tears sprang into my eyes, then, as I made the connection: support
and hope---like the rusty lock and key that I had found---are sometimes one and the same.
I realized that there is no shame in saying, "I can’t make it through this by myself." From
The Lock and Key
of the soul. I know, however, that God’s foreshadowing envelops all that is, all that is
greater than myself, all that is greater than suffering. Like the living stillness that lingers in
the woods after that first killing frost, God’s foreshadowing wraps itself around us like
autumn afternoon sunlight. From The Killing Frost
learning not to be alarmed when fear visits me, I am able to take my nightmares in stride. I
have consciously decided that when the alligators come, I will let them have their say---and
what they will say is a message of encouragement: "Sometimes we just need to be brave."
From Alligators of Fear
the parallel to that childhood memory. The colors, the ambience and the feelings were the
same. Both the stone-and-sky impression and the childhood memory were powerful,
touchstone images that evoked an inner truth I have always known but had forgotten: there
is a secret nerve that answers to the call of beauty. While this is a unique and spiritual
experience for each person, one thing is clear: within that response lies light, inner strength
and renewal. From Stone and Sky
surgeon. He said, "it is quite true that all of us need to have an inner spirit and strength in
order to sustain us through the difficulties of life. Anytime a person has a problem
because they have ‘no shoes’ I refer to another who has ‘no feet.’ There are many
reasons for each of us to count our blessings.
From Snakeskin Shoes and Pink Refrigerators
click as the lock mechanism lets go. Click. Soft sound. The door creaks open. Seeing small
truths of the soul can be like that. Sometimes it can be a painful truth that we have to face,
yet we feel a certain sense of freedom or relief when we do. From A Small Soft Click
given him a run for his money on who could climb a tree faster. Now I am rediscovering
that same magic in a new way through the framework of illness. It’s not about
rediscovering lost youth so much as tapping into the life-giving secret rhythm---the kind that
makes trees sway when there’s no wind. From Secret Rhythms
face? These questions settle into the background as I learn to live in the present. As an old
favorite quote of mine goes, "You can’t change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good
present by worrying about the future." It is incredibly tough at times, but I find my way by
sinking into the height, weight and depth of the daily journey. From Safe or Unsafe
drop out, to quit trying to rise above or find spiritual meaning in the pain. My kind
counselor reminded me many times that I had my own inner journey to attend to, a journey
that would require active participation and responsibility. Sometimes, when I longed to be
out in the flower beds, riding my old bike, back at work at the post office, hiking in the
woods, or playing badminton with my sons, I would say to myself, "I am not laid aside."
From Laid Aside Never
saying that the dangers of isolation of the self can lead to self-absorption, comparison, the
inability to go out of oneself to others, and the incapacity for any form of self-
transcendence. They describe this as being a prisoner of one’s own selfhood, which is a
horrifying thought. The stories of the desert fathers and mothers renew my conviction that
inner world within the scaffolding of our life circumstances is of the utmost importance.
I can think of no greater personal grief for anyone than to look back on life only to discover
that there was an outer framework with nothing inside. For that very reason, we must never
give up… no matter how much we must define our maps. From Lessons from the Desert
Fathers and Mothers
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