52 Cards: A Poem in 5 Acts

I. When I realize it’s been months since I wrote a poem I wonder why I’ve had nothing to say. Wonder why words do not burn my skull, why feelings do not pour from my fingers, why rage no longer screams my veins until I drip words- small, heavy, metallic - from artery to floor....

Teach me to be a window

I lost a friend this week.  A smart, vibrant, compassionate, passion-filled young woman I have known since she was small lost her life to brain cancer, and I am heart-broken.  The world was just brighter knowing she was in it.  My life is better for having had her in it. For most of us, navigating...

Day 12(ish): On Anger

So remember when I promised I was going to write for 30 days, and then I got to day 11 and disappeared? I’m back. And I’ll write the other 19 days. I just can’t promise they’ll be consecutive. Oh well: my blog, my rules. Know what I did this weekend? I bought a punching bag....

Day 1: A bird and a soul

Here’s what I’m really thinking about tonight. I’m thinking about pain: yours, mine, and ours. I’m thinking about how heavy the world feels. I’m thinking about how hard it is to breathe under that weight sometimes. I’m thinking about self-care and the ways we talk about it. I’m thinking about the ways we don’t talk...

Too Big to Contain: A post on Naming and responsibility

I am in the process of re-reading Madeleine L’Engle’s “Time Quintet” and just finished reading The Wind In the Door.  In this book, Meg (the protagonist) is charged with finding a way of defeating the evil force – the Echthroi.  This evil is killing the planet and her brother and the way to defeat them...

On Holy Boldness

Nearly a year ago, I went for a walk at the labyrinth at the Sisters of Bon Secours.  After walking, I went into the retreat center and they had a bowl full of stones for meditation with words written on them.  After much deliberation (and checking with the person at the desk), I decided to...

My Voice Walks Into a Room

My voice walks into a room. I was going to start with hello? It’s me…but then I realized Adele already took that and now you’re all singing and I don’t have Adele’s voice and that’s not the kind of voice I’m talking about, and – Let’s start over. My voice walks into a room. I'm...

On Faith: Hitting the Light

Last week, I attended a retreat - "Courage to Lead for Young Leaders and Activists" - with Parker Palmer and his organization, "Center for Courage and Renewal." I feel this desire -- and something of a pressure -- to write about it. People keep asking me, "how was your trip?," "how was the retreat?," "what...

I Can’t Keep Quiet

I am no stranger to organizing things when I see a need. When I was 10 years old, at my homeschooling co-op, one of the boys was running a "police academy" after lunch during free time. It turned into an exclusionary event where the boys - and those who were good at sports -- ran...

Some things are meant to be grieved

As a psychologist, I frequently hear stories that touch me. I frequently hear about things that make me pause and consider the privilege I have had in my life. I hear stories of courage and resilience that are beautiful and profound. Frequently, I hear stories that weigh heavy on my heart and body. Frequently, I...