Welcome!

Thanks for finding me, following me, and accompanying me in this spiritual journey of living life deeply!  This blog is an attempt to share the graces that have been freely gifted to me.

Those who have known me for a while might know that this is now my third solo blog production over the past 10 years.  Each one has shared snipets of my life, thoughts, and experiences at that given time.  This one is something that has been stirring in my mind and heart for a while now, and for hundreds of different reasons and excuses I just haven't put the effort into creating it until now.  At the encouragement and request of a few close friends I am creating this public space to collect and share my thoughts and reflections on the divine at work in the world and in my life, as well as inspirations and questions that show up in the daily act of trying to live fully and grow deeper in my faith and spirituality (two things that for me are really one in the same.)

I chose this title because each blog post will just be one bit or piece of a larger whole (life, the divine, the universe, etc.), and to me all of it is imbued in the Holy.  Everything is sacred if we are mindful, and look with eyes of interbeing (a term coined by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh to describe the interconnectedness of all life).  Each bit and piece offers an insight into the mystery of the divine, while never fully expressing or reflecting the whole.  Some bits and pieces might seem to contradict each other, and that's ok; the divine mystery is big enough to hold it all.

For those who might not know me personally, I wanted to also offer a brief introduction and background so you have an understanding of where I am coming from in these reflections.  I am a white female in my late twenties who was raised in the Mid-West and continues to live in the Mid-West, USA.  I was raised Roman Catholic and Catholicism is still the foundation of my spirituality and theology.  I am currently a member of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion (look them up to learn more!).  I am a lay preacher at my church, so part of my blog posts will be homilies that I have shared.  During my college years I was also introduced to the teachings and practices of other faith traditions and enjoy engaging in interfaith dialogue and collaboration.  I am particularly interested in the mindfulness and meditation practices of Buddhism, in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and "Engaged Buddhism," and have found it to be a beautiful complement in deepening my spirituality and lived praxis of contemplation in action.  You will find these influences throughout my writings.   Within the Christian/Catholic tradition I am particularly interested in and inspired by the mystics, women-based theological reflection (feminist, womanist, mujerista, indigenous, eco-feminist), liberation theologies, and the evolving 'new cosmology'.  I love the arts and frequently experience the divine through creative expression in prose, poetry, dance, theater, visual art, music, etc.  In just a few weeks I will begin a Masters of Divinity (MDiv) program at Eden Theological Seminary which I am very excited about!  I am sure that being in seminary will also provide ample material (questions, reflections, inspirations, etc) for this blog.   

A Closing Gatha of Gratitude:

Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment.
Breathing out, I smile.
Breathing in, I give thanks for the one who is reading these words
Breathing out, the Holy in me bows to the Holy in you.