“Freedom, release, contentment, jubilee. These are the gifts God gives to those who allow themselves to trust in God, rather than trust in the working of the human will.”

“Being on the lookout for glimpses of gratitude helps me focus on the beauty in front of me. A couple of times a year, Modern Mrs. Darcy invites readers to share a list of the things that are saving our lives right now. So I grabbed a pen and paper to make my own list and to remind myself that each day is a gift.”

“And now let us open our eyes.  It is time to slip into the big Self perspective.  We are not alone, we are not lost, and we are overwhelmed with abundance.  Abundance comes.  He takes our breath completely away.  We’re shoved out of the attitude of thinking we know how it all will go.  We are not in charge – not even close.”

“I can still visualize that beautiful bird, covered in blood, nailed to a tree with its wings outstretched, as clearly as I can see Jesus on the cross. I see the eagle as representative of peoples and cultures who treat nature with respect and only seek to live in harmony with the land and with each other.”

“It is as if the Holy Spirit hangs lovingly overhead, gazing in all directions in protection and care. All that I need in this moment is right here: peace and beauty and the mercy of a fresh snow making all things new in this moment.”

“At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much growth. The air is cold and the sun’s light is scant these days. Plenty of nights have dipped below freezing. The last weed was picked in early fall, and nothing else has grown.”

“Thank God for Episcopal Churches all over the US that have been providing feeding programs for school children and their neighbors during the pandemic. Now we encourage you to invite young people in your communities that want to make a difference, to join you in creating new forms of neighborhood empowerment in your communities too.”

“We know that the roots of systemic racism run all through our hillsides.  We don’t like to look at how bad it really is, because that would turn the ground we stand on into mush.  Wrong attitudes about what we can own, who we can keep at a distance and what is owed us keep the ground from shifting too badly.  But what do we lose by keeping those particular hillsides in place?”

“I wonder what might happen if, before we were to do something, a little voice in our mind would pop up with “But what if…?”  We wish drunk drivers would ask themselves that before they put their key in the ignition, but we’re likely to end up bruised and shaken even if we say something.”