There is so much on my heart and mind, not having written here for many months now. I’ve been “down the rabbit hole” with a parade of physical ailments that flattened me, caused me to cancel a number of events I had looked forward to greatly, and to admit that I felt utterly helpless and empty of explanations or solutions. …
Taken Over by Grandmother Power
My friend Kitty gave me this book for my 75th birthday. It’s the book Grandmother Power . At first I thought it was just a sweet gesture, but over time a surprising thing happened. I’ve been taken over by Grandmother Power. What is Grandmother Power? I wrote about it in another blog you can consult, but basically I define it …
Not on My Watch
Aama Bombo, Nepal There are moments when the enormity of the insanity of these times is too much to bear. One of these was last week when I was listening to a piece on NPR about the fiasco of reunification. Fathers who were supposed to have been reunited with their children had instead been placed in another detention center, while …
What do cancer, mediation and gun control have in common?
What in the world could be the connection between these three–and oranges? Well, like all of America and maybe all of the world, I’ve been thinking a lot and feeling a lot about guns and violence, and wondering what can be done. And though I don’t have answers, here are some thoughts about healing the divide. I’m a two-time …
The Rise of the Feminine
While the super moon was rising over the mountain above our house last Sunday, it also rose large and colorful over the Capitol. Can’t resist seeing the metaphor. The moon is usually connected to all that is feminine. And the feminine is definitely rising over the Capitol—in a large and colorful way. Of course the obvious way the feminine …
As Trump Reduces Wilderness, I Dare to Dream…
Behind the smoke screen of daily drama in the media, you may have noticed that our President is busy dismantling protection for our wild lands. He has approved a recommendation to reduce protection for Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah—part of the vast land that became protected by the stroke of Clinton’s pen. It just …
Do Dreamers from Tucson Dare Dream?
I felt acutely aware of being one of the only clearly Anglo faces in the room. The Pueblo High School cafeteria was crowded and hot; lack of air conditioning on a summer evening in Tucson is….challenging. But this was not the moment for first world complaints. My husband Jon and I were there to serve as volunteers for this …
Three Lessons for Now from an Ancient First Nations Culture
Taking off in a small Turboprop from Vancouver, we left urban life for the Haida Gwaii, a cluster of islands 60 miles west of mainland B.C., and about the same distance from the Alaskan panhandle. Named the Queen Charlotte Islands in 1798, the Haida Nation ceremonially returned the name to the British Crown in 2010. “Haida Gwaii” means “the …
5 Lessons for Surfing the Waves of Change
When my breasts were just buds, my Dad taught me how to be a surfer girl. I grew up in Southern California, and we spent our family vacations at San Clemente, camping every day by the Trestle, still a well-known surfing spot. We’d set up an umbrella, get out the Coppertone oil (yep, I had the darkest tan in …
Bringing Billy Home: A Tribute to a Fallen Marine
Some families appear to be elected, even ordained, to teach the rest of us about loss and suffering, and about the love and resilience that helps us bear the unbearable. I met one of these families this week during an emotional reunion of the 3 Marine squadrons where Lt. William Ryan served in Viet Nam. My husband, Jon Trachta, served …
