Every day, I meet someone who has something to teach me about surrendering. There is a little girl at my school who moves about with the help of a walker. She is the most determined child, always smiling and saying hello to everyone. She likes to say, Hello, my name is Jasmine, what’s your name?…

I was born with a fountain of love inside of me. I buy two vanilla cupcakes, with butter cream frosting. My husband and I will eat them tonight for dessert.  At the end of the day, I think it’s okay to want something. Wanting is so beautifully human, and not getting what we want makes…

Listening When I was interviewed last month, the person interviewing me noticed that in my book Comfort & Joy, I talk about the importance of listening to oneself. He asked me: How do we listen to ourselves? When I wrote Comfort & Joy, I was referring to listening to one’s needs. I was talking about…

Compassion There are times when things get trying, when there is a sense of being off balance.  The past few weeks have been like that, and my husband and I have been confronted with the need for patience, faith, and daily discipline. Regardless of how we feel, we must continue with our commitments. It’s the…

Rest I am always struck by the ending of the creation story in Genesis — on the seventh day God rested. How can we bring more rest into our lives? How can we take a rest from our worries, our frustrations, our desire for things to be different? Can we look around and find what…

As we end another year, I see the pull to look at the year in terms of accomplishments. Yet so much of what happens to us is beyond that framework. As the calendar year gets ready to turn, I have decided to reflect on ways my “being” has grown and expanded. This year, I had…