If you were asked to name the greatest love story that you have ever heard, what would you say?  The stories across history, captured in oral traditions, the written word, and art provide countless and many times dramatic accounts of the power of love and its capacity to bring out the most joyful and also the most painful experiences that we as humans can have. …

When I was helping with the preparation for those interested in Catholicism, we used what we called a “journey stick” as a symbol for the group. The stick itself was actually the wood skeleton of a saguaro cactus. It was important because it symbolized the journey of each of us as we gathered together.…

When I was a child, I was not so much scared of the water, but I was not a good swimmer.  I can still remember my aunt trying to teach me to swim, and recall the story told (although I myself do not remember the incident) of when I was young, perhaps 5, while surf-fishing at Grand Isle, I almost drowned. …

Almost 20 years ago, realizing that he was dying, my brother asked me to help him choose a scripture that could be shared at his memorial. Inasmuch as it was a difficult request for him to make (and for me to hear), it was an even greater moment of grace and presence for me, and I am convinced for him as well.…

There is a scene in the recent film, BIRDMAN, where two of the characters engage in a game of truth or dare on a building rooftop in midtown Manhattan.  Throughout the course of the dialogue, one of the characters chooses “truth” over “dare” without exception. …