God loves the imperfect

Again and again, these four words turn me around, stand me back from the edge and set me upright once again.

I Make An Act of Thanksgiving

In making an act of Thanksgiving of my penciled thoughts and prayers I discovered a surprising freedom and a unique invitation.

Gifted and Talented

The difference between a gift and a talent is only this: on a talent, you owe a tithe; for a gift, you owe everything.

The Space Between Gratitude and Glory

“You can make people feel,” he told me. That’s high praise, coming from a world famous poet and a marvelous compliment coming from a person who is in touch with “all the feels.” But it’s not me “making people feel.” The stories I share and the way I share them is thanks to the people who […]

Thank you for letting us sing to you: Confessions of a choir crasher

You’ve heard of party crashers and wedding crashers, but perhaps you have never heard of a choir crasher. That’s me, the person who, back in the doldrums of September as election campaigns were still in full swing, shorter days and longer nights were just beginning to descend, and when Christmas trees were not yet at […]

150 reasons why we are free today: gratitude flashmob

Have you ever noticed how contagious gratitude can be? I just had the opportunity, thanks to the William & Mary DC area Alumni organization, to welcome an Honor Flight coming into Reagan National Airport. On it were men and women who had served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam who were flown into Washington, DC so they could tour […]

Thank you tosses and goes, Gratitude stays and helps

“I can say what I want. It’s a free country!” the kid said, shoving his friend a little harder than a friend shoves a friend. The rest of us standing in line to board the flight pretended not to notice these boys ‘doing what boys do’. That kid is feeling pretty free. I’m thinking he probably has […]

It’s a Wonder We Ever Forgive

Why are we not more grateful? That’s the million dollar question, or actually the $140 million question (adjusted for inflation) posed to us in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, who, once he’s been forgiven his huge debt, refuses to extend the same kindness to his own debtor. Why does this central message of the New Testament not evoke […]