Even After You Stop Looking, Joy Can Still Find You
A Tough Day at the Hospital We were leaving the hospital after a long, exhausting day. My uncle had had a medical emergency earlier that morning, and I’d spent the…
Read moreWhen Compassion for Others Takes a Sharp Turn: A Lesson in Vulnerability
A Day of Compassion Begins I sit in a row of folding chairs in a neighborhood church gym, which today has been transformed into a blood donation center. My eyes…
Read moreFrom Bandaids to Water Bottles, Be Curious About the Power of Empathy
“The only way to survive is by taking care of one another.” – Grace Lee Boggs #1 – A Bandaid The contemplative writing session at the Wild Goose Festival had…
Read moreThe Unexpected Impact of a Short Friendship
It’s Thursday morning, one day after V died. My phone dings. I see it’s Michael. I wonder what he’s going to say. He wasn’t the one who told me about…
Read moreWhat Can I Do? For Now, This Is My Something
Can I Ask You Something? We chat outside her front door. It’s a normal Monday afternoon. She smiles and we make small talk until it’s time for me to move…
Read moreWhere’s the Book Inside You?
We ran into each other again at Manna House on a Wednesday afternoon. It’s where we usually see each other. Cowboy and I first met in his homeless camp. From…
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