I’ve been ruminating on this question for awhile now after visiting the amazing San Francisco Columbarium earlier this week with my friend Lainie. Unlike other columbariums that I have visited, this one has niches with transparent walls that the family of the deceased can use however they wish. Of course the main focus is typically…
Category: The Spirit
Storming the Kingdom (poem)
I recently came across this while looking through old writings of mine. I wrote it at the end of a month long volunteer training led by the Brethren Volunteer Service in Chicago in the summer of 1992. During those four weeks, I was sequestered with a diverse group of twenty-some volunteers from all over the…
The Beautiful Hour (poem)
For Kim The Beautiful Hour,You said,Is at twilightWhen the sun reaches that perfect angleAnd her beams linger and shimmerSoftly on the faces of creation.When people look more vibrant, fullLike TV peopleOnly better cause they’re on the biggest screen. It’s a nice thought,This Beautiful Hour.As the sun lets out her tressesOn the edge of the worldLet’s…
What I Believe about Love
I spoke from the lectern for the first time at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco service today! I was asked by Rev. Laura to share what I’ve learned about love, since joining a book reading group she started about two months ago. Here’s what I shared…. I started coming to Reverend Laura’s…
bell hooks on Love
The practice of love offers no place of safety.We risk loss, hurt, pain. We risk being actedupon by forces outside our control.
“We can only change what is in our reach….” (quote)
From Call of the Bone Ships by R.J. Barker She looked down at the white boards of the deck. “Maybe that is the true nature of prophecy – we can only change what is within our reach. So do not worry about the gullaime, do not worry about their prophecy. Hold close those you care…
I Don’t Follow the News Anymore
Full Disclosure: I work for a news organization and I don’t actively follow the news. I am a media literacy educator at the local public media station KQED. I love my job and I’m proud of our hard working journalists covering the stories that matter for the Bay Area and beyond. But when I’m not…
“Of the Terrible Doubt of Appearances” (poem)
Of the Terrible Doubt of Appearances by Walt Whitman Of the terrible doubt of appearances,Of the uncertainty after all—that we may be deluded,That may-be reliance and hope are but speculations after all,That may-be identity beyond the grave is a beautiful fable only,May-be the things I perceive—the animals, plants, men, hills, shining and flowing waters,The skies…
The Voice (poem)
There is a voice inside of youthat whispers all day long,“I feel that this is right for me,I know that this is wrong.”No teacher, preacher, parent, friendor wise man can decidewhat’s right for you – just listen tothe voice that speaks inside. ― Shel Silverstein
A Balanced Diet for My Media “Feed”
How healthy is your social media diet? I’ve been trying to be more intentional about what I put into my media “feed” as it’s called. About what I decide to spend my precious attention on. Since I (1) work for a news organization and (2) teach media literacy, this feels particularly important to try and…