Tag Archives: tasks

Practices that sustain life

“After a day of too much information about almost everything, there is such a blessed relief in the weight of wet clothes, causing the wicker basket to creak as I carry it out to the clothesline.  Every time I bend down to shake loose a piece of laundry, I smell the grass. I smell the …

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The fog of the future

“Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.” – Elisabeth Elliot I’ve heard it said that anger is really fear in disguise, and I’ve seen …

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Close at hand

“Survival starts by paying attention to what is close at hand and immediate. To look out with idle hope is tantamount to dreaming one’s life away.” ― Yann Martel Last summer I bought a small hibiscus plant at a clearance price, and brought it home to our deck. It thrived and bloomed profusely, until I …

Continue reading →

The day will arrive

“It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot…In a few moments the day will arrive…For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands.  It is now that I must make a choice.” – Max Lucado Many years ago my friend Gloria, who has been a psychotherapist for more than 40 years, told …

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The opposite of availability

“The opposite of availability is not unavailability, but an overcrowded heart.” — Sue Monk Kidd Did any of you wince inwardly on reading these words? I know I did. It’s the sort of observation we know to be true even as we wish it wasn’t. So many of us have a hard time saying “no” to new …

Continue reading →

To be the caretaker

“Life is too short to be the caretaker of the wrong details.” — Alexandra Stoddard I don’t have too many regrets in life, but one thing I know for sure I’d do less of, if I had it to do over: FILING.  For years, I compulsively kept neatly tabbed file folders with everything from medical …

Continue reading →

Practices that sustain life

“After a day of too much information about almost everything, there is such a blessed relief in the weight of wet clothes, causing the wicker basket to creak as I carry it out to the clothesline.  Every time I bend down to shake loose a piece of laundry, I smell the grass. I smell the …

Continue reading →

The fog of the future

“Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.” – Elisabeth Elliot I’ve heard it said that anger is really fear in disguise, and I’ve seen …

Continue reading →

Close at hand

“Survival starts by paying attention to what is close at hand and immediate. To look out with idle hope is tantamount to dreaming one’s life away.” ― Yann Martel Last summer I bought a small hibiscus plant at a clearance price, and brought it home to our deck. It thrived and bloomed profusely, until I …

Continue reading →

The day will arrive

“It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot…In a few moments the day will arrive…For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands.  It is now that I must make a choice.” – Max Lucado Many years ago my friend Gloria, who has been a psychotherapist for more than 40 years, told …

Continue reading →

The opposite of availability

“The opposite of availability is not unavailability, but an overcrowded heart.” — Sue Monk Kidd Did any of you wince inwardly on reading these words? I know I did. It’s the sort of observation we know to be true even as we wish it wasn’t. So many of us have a hard time saying “no” to new …

Continue reading →

To be the caretaker

“Life is too short to be the caretaker of the wrong details.” — Alexandra Stoddard I don’t have too many regrets in life, but one thing I know for sure I’d do less of, if I had it to do over: FILING.  For years, I compulsively kept neatly tabbed file folders with everything from medical …

Continue reading →