2024

Dear Friends,

I asked a friend to pray for me. And in the space of time that emails take, I thought about my request more closely. In asking for another’s thoughts/intentions/love, I was admitting my own vulnerability/hurt/need. But more than that, I was opening my heart. It felt like a risk, actually. Will she receive my request and include me in her quiet moments of faith and trust in God? I think so, but can I open my heart to this rich mystery of prayer? Can I trust the unfolding that deep prayer invites us/me into?

It turns out, this request for prayer became an entry point into my own relationship with Divine Love.  As my heart opened, there was more space to receive such Love. As my heart opened, there was more room for trust to grow and reminders to arrive, saying, “Yes, Lisa, your needs are heard, you are not alone.” Gently, prayer became more of a living thing, part of my walk through the day.

One of the reminders that just-so-happened to arrive as I opened my heart to prayer was a quote of Mechtild of Magdeburg, a 13th century German mystic. A card with words printed over a quiet lake, the sun going down, spoke to me….

“I who am Divine – am truly in you. I can never be sundered from you; however far we are parted, never can we be separated. I am in you and you are in Me. We could not be any closer. We two are fused into one, poured into a single mold, thus, unwearied, we shall remain forever.”

Friends, I offer you this reminder, especially as some of us prepare to enter the season of Lent. May we retain this promise of Divine Inclusion and receive its blessings. May we open our hearts to the possibility of  faith coming alive in our journey. May we accept our vulnerability as a doorway into a deeper relationship with our God.

with my love, Lisa

Dear Friends,

Before January 2024 comes to an end, I wanted to reach out and offer my affection and respect for each of you. It is a privilege to share my thoughts and efforts to choose hope with you on a monthly basis. In fact, this month marks the 10th year I have been writing and publishing these Glimmers on my website. Ten years of world events and American cultural changes, ten years of our lives unfolding before our eyes, ten years of reflection on the themes of our humanity and the invitations to our souls.

I intend to celebrate this accomplishment later on in the year. Hoping, for example, you might join me in a community Zoom to share a time of wonder. More details will follow,  until then this month’s Glimmer will be brief. I am still processing complex events from the last two months that have stretched my heart in multiple directions. I cannot use them as a springboard, as I often do on these pages. I cannot describe them simply in 342 words to offer a connection with you and the events of your lives. Not today, anyway.  Today I embrace the wisdom of contemplative practice and allow myself to “just be.”

As this new year begins, I offer this song – a place of rest for those of us needing to “just be.” May it ease the way and help us hold a space of grace. May God’s peace keep you safe, dear friends. With love, Lisa                                                                       The lyrics follow, to hear the music click on this link:

God Beyond All Names  by Bernadette Farrell

God, beyond our dreams, you have stirred in us a memory, you have placed your powerful spirit in the hearts of humankind.

Refrain: All around us, we have known you; all creation lives to hold you, In our living and our dying we are bringing you to birth.

God, beyond all names, you have made us in your image, we are like you, we reflect you, we are woman, we are man. Refrain

God, beyond all words, all creation tells your story, you have shaken with our laughter, you have trembled with our tears. Refrain

God, beyond all time, you are laboring within us; we are moving, we are changing, in your spirit ever new. Refrain

God of tender care, you have cradled us in goodness, you have mothered us in wholeness, you have loved us into birth.

Refrain: All around us, we have known you; all creation lives to hold you, In our living and our dying we are bringing you to birth.