In the fourth century, a group of Christian hermits fled to the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Arabia, and Persia in a quest for clarity, to know their true selves, and to achieve purity of heart. These Desert Fathers removed themselves from the world in order to seek a way to God unmapped by others before...
On the evening of April 29, I sat around a large wooden table with about 20 other pilgrims in the small French village of St. Jean Pied de Port. Each of us would begin our 780-kilometer trek to Santiago the next day. Just before dinner, we shared the “title” of our Camino – a summary...
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents and I lay them both at his feet.” In the last few months, I have been trying to follow Gandhi’s example by presenting God with all of my humiliations, rejections, and shortcomings and to...
Every era has its stressors. But our times can feel especially tumultuous. A 2017 American Psychological Association (APA) poll found that nearly two-thirds of Americans find that the future of the nation is a significant source of stress. And, according to a March 2018 national survey by the APA, more Americans feel anxious than they...
For a good year or so of my life, I wanted to be another blogger, a woman who is exceptionally good at writing about happiness. I envied her tremendous online following and book success, but I was also jealous of her subject matter. I toyed with the idea of recasting myself as a happiness expert instead...
