What a mixed bag. They’re often chosen, welcomed, and invigorating, but not always. They can represent the end of a season or the acceptance of a new reality. Some transitions are planned; others are imposed. Since we’re always transitioning from one thing to another, it’s helpful to consider not just the inevitability of change, but […]

When I was nine, my father built a giant sieve to separate stones from the soil. He wanted a lawn back where the yard was still piles of rubble from a construction project. At dinner that night he asked me to help him shovel one of the piles through the sieve. At nine, my idea […]

Imagine arriving home at day’s end to find greasy black liquid spreading across the counter, running down the cabinets onto the floor, and soaking into the hallway carpet. A backed-up kitchen sink on the middle floor of a forty-storied apartment building is neither peaceful nor relaxing.  A quick call brought two men running down the […]

There’s a quiet presence to humility. It’s gentle. You experience it in butterfly exhibits and hospital rooms. A deference to the other. A gentle touch that affirms dignity. It’s also evident on airplanes when someone stops to help the elderly couple lift their carry-ons into the overhead bin. A fragrance of grace in the urgent aisle. Humility […]