by David Anderson
On this anniversary of 9/11 the papers are full of stories about fisticuffs over the memorial at ground zero. It’s NYC and Bloomberg versus NY and Cuomo, fighting over who gets to control the memorial, who has to pay for it (it costs $60 million a year to maintain). This is about all the little […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Forgiveness, Freedom, Grace, Healing, Letting Go, Mercy
“One of the secrets and pleasures of cooking is to learn to correct something if it goes awry; and one of the lessons is to grin and bear it if it cannot be fixed.” -Julia Child Yesterday Julia Child turned 100. I owe her a lot. She taught millions how to cook, but […]
by David Anderson 8 Comments Filed Under: Forgiveness, Grace, Mercy
“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” The wisdom—and wit—of Thomas Merton. We all climb that ladder. There is probably something wrong with you if you don’t. And there are lots of ladders. Young […]
by David Anderson 14 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Fear, Grace, Happiness, Letting Go, Mercy, Surrender
This is called “The Best Poem in the World,” which isn’t true. But it is the best doggerel in the world. Read it and see if you don’t agree. The Best Poem in the World I was shocked, confused, bewildered as I entered Heaven’s door, Not by the beauty of it all, by the lights or […]
by David Anderson 13 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Grace, Heaven, Love, Mercy
Are you afraid to die? I have sat by the bed of many a dying man and woman. Those who are afraid of dying are—at bottom—afraid that perhaps they have not actually lived. It doesn’t matter if they are great church-goers. It doesn’t matter if, by all appearances, they’ve been a good person. It doesn’t […]
by David Anderson 2 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Fear, Grace, Now/ the Present, Reality--trusting it, Seeing
I once worked with a stone mason who was repairing a great fireplace, with the chimney stoned all the way from the mantle to the cathedral ceiling peak. He stood back and surveyed the stone work. “What makes this artwork, what makes it beautiful is not a bunch of same-size stones all perfectly lined up […]
by David Anderson 7 Comments Filed Under: Change, Forgiveness, Grace, Reality--trusting it, Surrender
Life can seem awfully complicated. Ron Padgett, a wonderful writer, offers some simple, take-’em-to-the-bank insights. Get some sleep. Eat an orange every morning. Be friendly. It will help make you happy. Hope for everything. Expect nothing. Take care of things close to home first. Straighten up your room before you save the world. Then save the world. Be nice […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Grace, Happiness, Now/ the Present
We spend most of our time trying to be someone else, someone better, more successful. I think we spend the first thirty or forty or fifty years trying to be this other person. And most religion doesn’t help. In fact it makes our self-rejection divine—God is not happy with who you are and will only […]
by David Anderson 2 Comments Filed Under: Grace, Seeing