Lord, teach me. . . .

  Never stop learning, because Life never stops teaching.   –Lin Pernille On our journey, we have almost arrived at Epiphany , or Twelfth Night. Epiphany literally means to shine a light on , or reveal . In our Christian tradition, Epiphany refers to the arrival of the Wise Ones and their proclamation of the Christ Child as the one about whom much was prophesied. It marks the end of the journey to Bethlehem, but the beginning of a much longer journey: a journey of learning more . The thing about the Wise Ones was, they never stopped learning. They never let their belief in a Supreme Divine keep them from seeking greater knowledge. They truly believed that faith and knowledge were two facets of the same gemstone. They didn’t contradict one another; rather, the one enhanced the other. And in that enhancement, they took turns. For instance. From the beginning, the Wise Ones saw a star that shone in the East. The Wise Ones were, we believe, from Persia—which already lies eas

  Something a little different this week. I invite you to sit with Howard Thurman’s beautiful words and let them sink into your heart. May Peace, Hope, Joy—and Love be yours.   Christmas returns, as it always does, with its assurance that life is good. It is the time of lift to the spirit,      When the mind feels its way into the commonplace,      And senses the wonder of simple things: an evergreen tree,      Familiar carols, merry laughter. It is the time of illumination,      When candles burn, and old dreams      Find their youth again. It is the time of pause,      When forgotten joys come back to mind, and past dedications renew their claim. It is the time of harvest for the heart,      When faith reaches out to mantle all high endeavor,      And love whispers its magic word to everything that breathes. Christmas returns, as it always does, with its assurance that life is good.   --Howard Thurman, The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations (Friends Unite

  We all want to just live a simple life, but nobody really knows how to do that. –Cameron Britton   We got a new television this week. It’s a “smart TV,” and it makes me feel kinda dumb. In the “good old days,” when you brought home the TV, all you had to do was plug it in the wall and turn it on. That’s it. No remote control except the kids. Maybe you’d need to add an antenna, and it might take two people to get those rabbit ears adjusted just right . But it was that easy. Lawrence Welk was in our living room before we knew it. This time . . . ugh. There’s a code to type in. And a really complicated remote control. And literally hundreds of channels to choose from (but a current contract dispute keeps us from getting one of our favorites)! I miss simple. During this pandemic, I suspect I am not alone. People are learning old practices as new things: baking bread, taking long walks instead of going to the gym. Staying home. Even the holidays have gotten complicated. Inst

  Trust not tomorrow! Whatever you are planning, today is the best day to act! --Mehmet Murat ildan   She is four-and-a-half years old, with beautiful blue eyes that dance with life, flowing blonde curls that would draw the envy of a princess. And she is my granddaughter. This past week, we got our first snowfall—and it was a doozie! Officially, we got over a foot of the white stuff, heavy and wet. Trees sagged under the weight; branches creaked, groaned—and snapped. Cars’ wheels whined and drivers cursed, as they misjudged the depth and paid for their error. Even buses and plows struggled. For a Tuesday, it felt an awful lot like a Monday for many  In my daughter’s house, around about six o’clock, the light broke through. Princess Golden Curls came down the stairs, took one look outside—and began racing around and around, through the living room and kitchen, eyes alight and curls a-flying. THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE !   Over and over again,