Since my last Musings, I’ve continued to think about success, about accumulation, about consumption, about letting go — and I have come to the conclusion that I am really asking myself about identity. What constitutes identity? Is there some kernel of being that is uniquely me, separate from the family in which I grew up, …
I’ve been pondering success lately. As friends and colleagues move into retirement or pre-retirement planning (indeed, as my husband and I begin to consider the shift in life stages), I’ve been pondering how those I know, those I love, measure success. I was talking with my father recently about what he and my mother taught …
In Part One, I was reflecting on how important, but how hard, it is to keep our truths from being painted over by our fears, our anxieties, our griefs, our shames, the world’s expectations and our collusion with the world’s expectations. But it seems to me that pentimento can also be life-giving and truth-enhancing in …
Although the preacher never used the term, pentimento, I heard a sermon this morning that used the concept of pentimento to encourage us to be more honest, healthier, less fearful, about revealing our mistakes rather than engaging in elaborate cover-ups. It was not until this evening, however, that I learned that the term actually comes …
Every once in awhile, I find it fruitful to stop and consider all the clutter in my life. Not just the physical clutter, but the emotional clutter, the psychological clutter, even the spiritual clutter. The beginning of Lent is not a bad time to pick for this activity and tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. So here …
Today – on a gusty, cold, and brilliantly sunny day – I got to thinking about embodiment. My nose was running, my earlobes were freezing, the wind was blowing sharp bits of this and that into my face, but I found myself celebrating the miraculous fact that my spirit and mind have a physical home. …
A journey is a trip from one place to another, to a specific other place. A pilgrimage is a journey from one place to another with the expectation that the travel itself will change the pilgrim in some way. An immram is a journey of trust. Not only does the person setting out know that …