This past week I received two newsletters. The first, from writer Maria Popova in her exceptional weekly offering, Brain Pickings, shared an excerpt from author Katherine May’s book, Wintering, about the quiet, difficult seasons of life and how to allow them. The second, from Eileen at our local, fabulous bookstore, Rebel Heart Books, described the loss of her husband’s parents to COVID-19 in February.

What do Donald Trump, a trip to Costco, and my dog have in common? More than you might imagine. A strange confluence of events culminated this morning in a surprising, personal revelation.

You’ve heard someone say it. Heck, maybe you say it. “I’m spiritual but not religious.” But what the heck does that really mean?

Five hundred years ago cartographers, imagining what lay beyond the known borders of the earth, poetically wrote that beyond a certain point in the uncharted seas “there be dragons.”  Dragons are the mythological, metaphorical expression of our innermost fears; the sea they inhabit our unknown future.

It’s sad to think that we need guidance in how to grieve, how to be with someone who has gone through a loss when it’s as basic as The Golden Rule: treat others as you would be treated. Simple as that sounds, we don’t do it.

The season of celebration is upon us; lots of Happy Hanukkahs, Merry Christmases, and Happy New Years flying about.  It sets me to wondering about this happiness business, and it IS a business, as I am sure you very well know.  Equally obvious is the fact that all the stuff being foisted upon us at every turn contributes not one iota to our happiness.

As I write this, thousands of people are gathering for Michael Jackson’s memorial.  Although I do not listen to or watch much news, I did not miss the deluge of commentary on the former pop star.