One of the most striking differences between living in the countryside of the Tehachapi Mountains and living back down in LA’s urban sprawl is the sky. Here, the sky truly is blue. As a kid, I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley in the 80′s. Back then, days known as “third-stage smog alerts” were [...]
Posts Tagged ‘creation’
10 May
Spring has Sprung
So much is happening around the homestead, and I feel privileged to watch Spring unfold. My favorite time is early Saturday morning, when Rob and I wake up early, make coffee, and go out to greet the land as the sun rises. Spring has not been gentle so far; the weather can swing from a warm sunny [...]
10 Feb
The Hillside
The other day I was taking Sugar out to the backyard for a break from housework and a little fun throwing ball. As soon as we stepped out the back door, her ears perked up and her back arched. She stood at full attention, eyes fixed on the hillside. The air was still and [...]
2 Oct
Empowerment
Be the change you wish to see in the world. -Mahatma Gandhi One of the most wonderful things about my time as a high school teacher was seeing the students actively live out the values that we discussed in our daily 50 minutes together. It was seeing the “a-ha!” in their eyes when they realized [...]
1 Oct
A New Quarter
My first quarter of my second year in seminary is officially in full swing. I admit it–I love being back in school. I love my classes, my professors are amazing, and I feel all the wheels in my head turning ferociously. It feels good. One of the things I like best about being in school [...]
24 Sep
Autumn
One of my favorite parts of our Utah trip was being able to be present to the onset of autumn. The southern part of the state had just begun to see its early nights of frost, especially in the higher elevations (this was taken at around 9,000 feet). It seemed a sacred thing to be present [...]
22 Sep
Stillness
I think that one of my favorite parts about being in Southern Utah was the stillness that descended upon us both. We were removed, inaccessible by phone, email, facebook, twitter, and anything else that could threaten to preoccupy us, to tear us away from the awesome glory that lay before us with each new journey. [...]
14 Sep
Deepening Relationships
Today we spent the day volunteering with the horses at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. It was physically demanding–15,000 steps on my pedometer at 4:30pm–and deeply rewarding. We learned of the passing of some of our old horse friends, and were introduced to some of the newbies to Best Friends. We spent time with those we [...]
13 Sep
The Journey Begins
“Every now and again take a good look at something not made with hands—a mountain, a star, the turn of a stream. There will come to you wisdom and patience and solace and, above all, the assurance that you are not alone in the world.” –Sidney Lovett Yesterday my birthday began with waking up [...]
10 Sep
Goin’ to the Dogs
Today we leave on a 8 day excusion back to southern Utah. We’ll be hiking through Bryce Canyon, Zion, and the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. We’ll also be returning to volunteer at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the country and the setting for NatGeo’s show Dogtown. We went [...]
Just a joyful Catholic girl trying to live as simply and consciously and gratefully as possible in this beautiful, amazing world...and bringing as many as possible along for the ride.
