Tag Archives: courage

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Making Friends with My Body

Making Friends with My Body When I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in my late 40’s, I had been having back pain, overall soreness and sometimes just feeling exhausted for several years.  I had been to various doctors, orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, physical therapists and athletic trainers and no one could do anything for me.  I…
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Can Small Acts of Courage and Compassion Really Save the World?

Can Small Acts of Courage and Compassion Really Save the World? I have to be honest. I’m a bit of a skeptic when it comes to all-encompassing spiritual proclamations. You could call me a “yes, but…” doubting Thomas-type person when conversations get a bit “spirited” or overly idealistic. And my friends and I sometimes do…
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The Awakening: What Is the Gift of Shadow? (Part 3 of 3)

This reflection continues a three-part exploration of the unknown in our inner worlds, sometimes called the shadow. Part 1 took up the question “What Is Shadow?” and parts 2 unpacked the question “What Do We Do with Shadow?.” Third and finally, “What Is the Gift of Shadow?” The Awakening What Is the Gift of Shadow? (Part…
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The Summons: What Do We Do With Shadow? (Part 2 of 3)

This reflection continues an exploration of the unknown in our inner worlds, sometimes called the shadow. Part 1 took up the question “What Is Shadow?” while parts 2 and 3 follow the questions “What Do We Do with Shadow?” and “What Is the Gift of Shadow?” The Summons What Do We Do With Shadow? (Part 2…
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The Unknown: What Is Shadow? (Part 1 of 3)

This reflection kicks off a three-part exploration of the unknown in our inner worlds, sometimes called the shadow. Part 1 takes up the question “What Is Shadow?” while parts 2 and 3 follow the questions “What Do We Do with Shadow?” and “What Is the Gift of Shadow?”

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Winter Reflections

From time to time the Benedictine Center invites contributors to share their spiritual writing as it results from experiences at the Benedictine Center. This example of story as a way of considering our life journey was written by Liz Jaeger. She wrote this piece during a series called "Writing Our Way to Understanding.  Winter Reflections…
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Darkness as Essential to Transformation

Darkness as Essential to Transformation I have often described myself as a transformation junky.  The resurrection narrative has always been my deep draw to the Christian faith.  I believe in Martin Luther King’s view, that “the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice,” and I have worked for that justice…
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We Can Forgive Even the Most Heinous Wrongs Done to Us

We Can Forgive Even the Most Heinous Wrongs Done to Us Is there a more difficult command given to us by Jesus than to forgive those who wrong us? We know we are called to forgiveness; every time we recite the Lord’s Prayer, we express the plea, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those…
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Being Real (Part 4): The Playlist

Recently, my long-time friend and colleague, Eily Marlow and I developed a day-long workshop called Being Real: Practicing Humility, Courage, and Authenticity in Everyday Life. The stories and the challenges that Eily and I shared as we were preparing for the workshop have stayed with me and continued to evolve over time. So have the lessons…
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We Dare To Hope (Part 2 of 2)

We Dare to Hope (Part 2 of 2) In part one of this reflection, I wrote that we much believe our collective Christian narrative, and then we need to tell our story.  Here let me say a few things about what sharing our Christian hope might look like. Take Opportunities First, we take the opportunities…
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