I was talking with a neighbor friend earlier this week and our conversation turned to the reality that “there is a lot going on in the world.”  She was overwhelmed by how much was going in the “wrong direction” and how helpless she felt to make things better.  It seems I keep having this type of interaction wherever I go, and I am sure you can relate.

The sound of chainsaws woke me up this morning on Monday when I’d hoped to sleep in.  When I went outside to investigate the source, I saw that a neighbor was finally having their vastly overgrown philodendrons brought back to a manageable size. The denuded trunks looked ridiculously small, as though they couldn’t possibly be the source of all that jungle-worthy leafiness.

I hit a rough patch at work late last year.  I found myself feeling overwhelmed by the number of things that were on my to do list versus the number of things I could do in any given day/week.  The math wasn’t adding up, there was just no way I could keep up at the level I expected of myself. 

Near my home is a fresh market that sells produce from local farms at pretty remarkable prices.  They also bring in produce from other places so that their available products meet most shopping needs, making it a very popular place to be on any given day.  But, it is one of the few grocery stores where seasonal offerings vary widely.

On October 26, 2025, a group of Buddhist monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, along with their rescue dog named Aloka, which means light, illumination, brightness, started out on a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace. The 108 day journey, a number that symbolizes the union of the individual with the universe, bridging the gap between the physical and spiritual realms, concluded on Feb. 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. Their mission to spread mindfulness, compassion, and unity across the United States was greeted along the way with gratitude, acceptance, and many tears. Those who were directly encountered by the individual monks described it as life-changing.

Growing up in Colorado, I often found myself in the mountains with friends and family. It was there, in that wild and beautiful landscape, that I first experienced a natural phenomenon that perfectly illustrates a spiritual principle we’re being called to remember right now.

Ernest Holmes was developing his spiritual self at the same time several other people were discussing “new thought” ideas. It was radical thinking at that time – because they were challenging the idea that there is one KING-like God that controls everything and must be worshiped to gain his favor. And if you don’t gain favor – you are doomed to an infinity of hell, pain, torture, and suffering. 

This has been a very big week for spiritual practice. I’ve found myself repeatedly re-centering—coming back to an awareness of my place within my own realm of influence—and I know I am not alone. When we explored these themes together at the Center on Sunday, it became clear that many of us are carrying the same sense of uncertainty and asking similar questions about the role faith plays in the midst of it all.

Information is energy that flows your way.  You get to decide how much and what types of energy you allow into your field of awareness.   One of the coping strategies I have been using in relationship to this flow of information energy is to curate my social media streams and overall consumption of “news.”

As we approach the day when our country honors Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I find it timely to remember some of the wisdom he brought to the conversation of how humanity moves forward into a greater expression of ourselves.  Having lived so many years in his home city of Atlanta, I thought I had been exposed to most of his messages, but this week, in preparing for this article, I was reminded of an unfamiliar topic he preached about throughout his life.

In a recent class students submitted thought papers and gave permission for them to be edited for our newsletter.  We look forward to publishing more writing by our members in future editions. This is our first “Community Voice Article”, but not our last!

Last week I attended a circus with performances by kids 6-18 years old.  It was inspiring to see the passion for this art form by so many young acrobats, clowns, and jugglers; guided and coached by adults who have obviously dedicated their lives to the same passion.  The creativity and risk-taking was amazing.

You can find God in the most unlikely places—like that cheery chatbot residing on your phone.

Tech reporter Taylor Lorenz recently observed: “Thousands and thousands of people are claiming that ChatGPT is sentient and that the AI is a type of all-knowing god, or that it has been sent from the future or an alien civilization to save us. Is this a new form of religion or mass psychosis?”

The saying “good fences make good neighbors” speaks to the truth that boundaries can be very beneficial.  A boundary is a line in the sand; a fence you place delineating what you will and won’t do or accept.  Just as you can choose what kind of and where to put your fence, you also get to choose your type and placement of your personal boundaries.  Setting and honoring your boundaries is so beneficial.  Boundaries help you maintain healthy relationships, protect your emotional well-being, and increase your self-esteem and happiness.  Attending to your boundaries, increases your self-awareness and improves your self-care.

After the Sunday lovefest that was the celebration of the 8th anniversary of my ministry at CSLTB, all I can feel is the energy of gratitude flowing all around me.  I know I use that word so often, and you may be weary of my emphasis on it, but please bear with me.   I do have a point!

November 9th is known as World Freedom Day, established to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.  On that day so many years ago, officials declared that the borders were suddenly open between East and West Germany.  That day people crowded along the wall and passed freely without resistance, without fear of being arrested or killed for trying to get to the other side.  Immediately individuals in the crowd began to dismantle the wall, destroying the symbol of oppression that had stood for nearly 30 years.