Twelve years ago, I had moved from a community where I had many acquaintances and cultural activities to a much more rural, isolated place. That's when I started blogging, purely on a whim -- but it quickly became a lifeline for me. This blog and my previous one, The Emerald City Book Review, helped provide … Continue reading Looking back and ahead
As I enter my annual blog break over the twelve nights of Christmas, here's a favorite poem - an excerpt from Tennyson's In Memoriam. The first two stanzas are the ones I knew and loved as a child, but as I read the whole passage, I think how applicable it is to our time. Faithless … Continue reading Ring out the old, ring in the new
At my Sacred Reading Substack, I’ve just announced plans for a special study to take place during the season of Advent, starting tomorrow. We’ll work with the three stories from the Gospels in which Jesus raises someone from the dead — stories I found extremely transformative in my own life. I want to explore them … Continue reading An Advent Study Series
The Engadin, the valley of the En or Inn river in Eastern Switzerland, is, so far, my favorite region of the country -- I previously shared photos from a trip to the Upper Engadin. In early October this year we planned to visit another part of the valley where we'd not yet been. I was … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Lower Engadin
When I was a child in school, I was never assigned the task of writing to an author -- thank goodness, as such mandated correspondence is the dullest and most pointless kind. However, I did once write to the favorite author of my adolescence, Robin McKinley, and she not only answered with a real letter, … Continue reading Do you ever write to writers?
After living in Switzerland for 6 years, I had still not seen the iconic Matterhorn peak - and nor, I may add, had my husband, though he was born here. But when friends visited this summer from North America, they wanted to go to the big M, and so we decided to come along. View … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: On the Matterhorn trail
For anyone interested in the sacred dimension of reading, I've created a week of free online meetings to introduce a contemplative way of engaging with texts--not necessarily "religious" in the conventional sense. I'm very excited to share this practice with you all, as it's been transformative in my own life. Each meeting will be independent, … Continue reading A week of sacred reading starts tomorrow
As I recently posted in my blog newsletter and Substack, The Enchanted Circle, I'd like to offer an opportunity for those interested in reading as a sacred practice to gather online. It would be so wonderful to share this practice with others! Going forward, such gatherings might take place once or twice a month. As … Continue reading A week of sacred reading
People often ask how I like living in Switzerland. I always smile and say I like it, it's beautiful, I appreciate many things. I don't tell them that for me, moving to Switzerland was a lot like dying. English chapel, Davos Though not to be compared to the desperate flights of many forced to leave … Continue reading Six years in Switzerland
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
