by David Anderson
As the world celebrates St. Patrick’s day, we pause to remember Ireland’s great patron who has been adopted by the world. Born in Roman Britain, kidnapped by slave traders from Ireland prowling the Welsh coastline, enslaved for years as a shepherd in Ireland, Patrick had no formal education, but his searing experience created within him […]
by David Anderson 3 Comments Filed Under: Daily Practice, Faith/Trust, Nature/Creation
(We’ll get to Gobbler’s Knob in a moment.) Today—February 2nd—is a big turning point. It’s a great cross-quarter day, midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. In ancient, agricultural societies it was regarded as the beginning of spring—the time for first turning the soil in preparation for March planting. There were prayers and […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Change, Nature/Creation, Surrender
My daily almanac tells me this: On this date in 1883, standard time zones were established in the United States and Canada. The railroad was the driving force behind the establishment of consistent time zones, and it was called Standard Railway Time (SRT). Prior to the use of SRT, all towns set their own time, […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Change, Nature/Creation, Now/ the Present, Seeing
We live by lists. I’ve got lists on my Blackberry calendar. I’ve got little pieces of paper in my shirt pocket that say, “Call Dr.” and “Stop paper/mail” and “Dan.” When I get to work my wonderful, life-saving admin kindly forces me to clean up the clutter on my desk. Then Judy types up a nice […]
by David Anderson 9 Comments Filed Under: Happiness, Nature/Creation, Now/ the Present
The essence of spiritual life is often presented as a matter of seeing. The root problem is blindness. We have no “eye of the heart” and therefore we cannot see spiritually. It’s not just that we cannot “see” spiritual truths—that the external world is passing away, that only love endures; that the last shall be […]
by David Anderson 2 Comments Filed Under: Nature/Creation, Now/ the Present
This morning they mowed the grass on the church lawn. I was surprised to hear the whirr and moan of the mower. Fall has come, the leaves are flaming and drifting. I half imagined that everyone had stowed their mowers and readied their rakes. Not yet. The sound of the mowers registered in my head, […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Change, Nature/Creation, Now/ the Present, Surrender
If summer is come (as of Tuesday), can vacation be far behind? Unless we’re in for a stay-cation, that means getting out of town, finding our way somewhere else. When we live in town and work in the city, we often head for someplace far from “civilization,” remote, wild. I always develop palpitations when I […]
by David Anderson Leave a Comment Filed Under: Nature/Creation Tagged With: Nature/Creation