A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to take advantage of the lovely spring weather and go on an outing to a nearby place I'd never yet been: the Verenaschlucht, a gorge leading to a hermit's hut and two medieval chapels. Located near the beautiful Baroque city of Solothurn, it's known for ancient healing forces, … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Verenaschlucht
I recently finished a training for caregivers that involved two days a week of classroom time, over eight wintry weeks. Each day, after so much intense learning in a language that is not my mother tongue, I felt the need to get out and walk during my lunch break. I wandered in various directions through … Continue reading Can we build a path to peace?
With this poem by Swiss poet Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, I bid you farewell for a time. I’ll be back in February or so. Till then, my very best wishes to you at the turning of the year. Peace on Earth Conrad Ferdinand MeyerTranslated from the German by Lory Widmer Hess When the shepherds left their … Continue reading A poem for the season: Peace on Earth
For my birthday weekend it was my idea to visit St. Ursanne, a lovely town about a half hour drive away. We'd been there in our first year for the medieval festival that takes place every July, but not since then. The patron saint with his legendary bear, with view across the river Doubs to … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: St Ursanne
Hello! In the midst of my blog break, I wanted to post a few photos from my amazing week in Chartres, France, before Paris in July (#2024parisinjuly) passes us by. We explored the beautiful gothic cathedral from top to bottom, taking all available tours including of the roof and the crypt, spent hours gazing at … Continue reading Near Paris in July – My trip to Chartres
Dear friends, I'm excited to announce that my book, When Fragments Make a Whole: A Personal Journey Through Healing Stories in the Bible is now available from Floris Books. If you'd like to see a preview, click on "See inside" from the Floris book page. You'll get a pop-up with a generous portion including the … Continue reading My book birthday! When Fragments Make a Whole is now available
A few pieces that I submitted some time ago have come out recently. I am happy to link them up here and incidentally to inform you about some fine online journals. "Weaving Lessons" was featured at bioStories, which posts an essay each week on Wednesdays. Check out their complete archives for a multitude of stories … Continue reading Recent publications
I forgot to celebrate the occasion, but the 1st of January marked 10 years since I started my first book blog, The Emerald City Book Review. Though the Emerald City has morphed into the Enchanted Castle, I've been blogging for a whole decade now. I've gotten so much out of this hobby, and I am … Continue reading Celebrating 10 Years of Blogging
Authors Publish Magazine has just posted an essay of mine that mused on the question: "Is an unpublishable book worth writing?" This came up in connection with my personal experience of writing an entire book I didn't feel able to submit for publication. Was that a waste of time? As I looked into the experiences … Continue reading Over at Authors Publish: Is an unpublishable book worth writing?
In the latest issue of Authors Publish Magazine, there's a piece I wrote about the process of choosing a title for my forthcoming book: When a book I’d written chronicling my spiritual and healing journey was accepted by a publisher, I didn’t expect the process of publication itself to hold further spiritual challenges. Choosing a … Continue reading Over at Authors Publish: A Title Is Born
