Categories
life

The Art and Practice of Saying “Goodbye”

“All these places had their moments, with lovers and friends I still can recall, some are dead and some are living, in my life I’ve loved them all, ~John Lennon In life, there is something deeply important about saying “goodbye.” It’s not the casual goodbye I’m referring to, but the goodbye said with a sincere […]

Categories
favorites spirituality

I Am a “Being Humanist”

We’re born. We grow. We learn. We grieve. We reemerge. We feel helpless. We overflow with joy. We dream. We fail to live up to our ideals. We transcend. We hesitate to trust our capacities. We shatter into a thousand pieces of love. We sleepwalk. We awaken, over and over again, living our fully and […]

Categories
life

Farewell Old Friend

It’s never easy to lose a friend, and sometimes their passing truly stings despite how anticipated it may have been. My friend Michael died this morning and my heart grieves. We became neighbors when I first moved to the coast 15 years ago and we remained friends after he sold his home and moved across […]

Categories
america songs VanLife

“One Road In, One Road Out”

I wrote this song while on a recent road trip in my van. While driving, I always have a lot of time to think and generally prefer to leave the radio silent. Noticing all the small towns along the way with their water towers announcing their names to drivers passing by, I started to think […]

Categories
favorites life nepal on traveling spirituality

Attending to Transitions – Saying Goodbye with Awareness and Appreciation

I just departed Nepal. I’ve been there enough times now (six) that it’s becoming somewhat of a second home for me. My time of course is largely spent with Nepal Orphans Home where I assist in whatever ways that I can. I teach classes at times, organize and present workshops for the older kids as […]

Categories
life love

Eyes of Compassion

People who are special are very good at making other people feel special. It’s a well-honed talent which has it’s roots in humility and kindness. Joyce Hayes was a master at making others feel special. Although she just recently passed, she left a flotilla of people in her wake who, thanks to her generous heart and love, have […]

Categories
favorites life poems & stories

Loving Too Many People

Today it feels like I love too many people. I know it seems like a silly thing to say, but the truth is that with all the wonderful things that love brings, it is also accompanied by loss. Today I am feeling the acuteness of the prospect of losing my dear cousin Irv Spivak who, […]

Categories
life nepal spirituality

For All We Know…

After working with the after school programs this afternoon at the orphanage I went to the boys house to work with one of the boys on filming his part for the music video I’ve been pulling together here. I finally got him to actually feel the music in his body and express himself as if […]