“Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond our grasp; but which, if we sit down quietly, may alight upon us.” —Nathaniel Hawthorne This quote is often attributed to Hawthorne. It is sometimes attributed to Thoreau. Many…
Nashville Authors
Given the state of affairs in Nashville – a heady brew (or frozen mix?) of fatigue, frustration, and relief, for some – it seems the right moment to share an exciting opportunity. Something to think about on these frigidbitter days……
If you live in Nashville, you’ve likely heard of Room in the Inn. Charles Strobel, a Catholic priest, began sheltering the homeless in his own East Nashville church in 1985. By the time of his death in 2023, Room in…
It’s a lot to process, when your beloved father-in-law passes less than a week before your book launches. This is the situation Betsy Wills finds herself in. A few nights ago, she was telling me how her husband and his…
Gordon Peerman’s Blessed Relief: What Christians Can Learn from Buddhists About Suffering has been a life-changing read for me. It is helping me learn how to get some distance from my emotions and approach discomfort and even suffering from a…
I went to Bhutan to visit my friend, Linda Leaming (Married To Bhutan, A Field Guide to Happiness). I went by myself to know that I could. I went to learn more about Buddhism. About halfway through the trip, I…
I’ve realized, lately, that I live as if suffering is a shocking and insulting surprise. How foolish! How could I be this old and not yet understand, at my core, that suffering is simply part of this journey, part of…
My husband and I left Pepper and Daisy at home when we went out to dinner a few nights ago. Daisy stayed in her crate – against her will – because she is a puppy and likely to get into…
If you want to know a person, figure out what aggravates them. For Sean Kinch? “My hips creak when I run, clever mice in our basement have learned how to avoid traps, Balzac wrote too many novels, and I have…