Celebration of life I charged myself with the task of creating an opening prayer for an upcoming celebration of life. As a Spiritual Director, I learned to weave words for ritual. Rituals give our lives a rich and lasting connection to meaningful moments, instilling them within our hearts so we remember. Not all moments should be remembered. Some we need to experience and move past, making sure they don’t smack us on their way out of our lives. Other moments must be treasur

Water Wheel of Life The air is changing. I can feel it. As we move from Summer into Autumn the Earth feels like a heavily laden water wheel slowly moving as the sun rises and sets. My wife and I often talk about the troubled times of the 1850’s. I am reminded of the chaotic world we live in now is not new. My awareness of it continues to rise as I see more and more the hypocrisies of human nature. The hurt and harm humanity does to all sentient beings including the earth itse

Best Moments by Shirley Riga, written in 2020 In my book of rules, best moments were supposed to be birthday parties and holidays, family meals and first days of school. The have-to’s, the should’s followed me around into adulthood in my head, dragging on my shoulders and tied around my ankles. I never knew there was an individuation rule to become my own person with my own likes and dislikes, boundaries and borders defining my uniqueness. I have been writing my own boo

The Enemy of Change and the Wisdom of Silence Sitting in silence can you hear your inner motor? I’m not talking about your heartbeat or the hum in your ears. I’m talking about the silence? What does the silence sound like? I know my silence has changed over time. A bouncing ball from one thought to another, reacting and refocusing over and over again. Other times, I have so much room, my patience is my breath as I observe and breathe. And beyond the red bouncing ball, the

New Beginnings, by Guest Host Nancy Bragg William Bridges wrote a classic book about transitions entitled Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes. He posited that life transitions are the internal re-alignment, inner re-orientation, and self-definition people go through to integrate life changes, which are external situational shifts. Bridges talked about 3 stages of transition, just like Kubler-Ross talked about 5 stages of grief. Kubler-Ross’s 5 stages had already been

Beloved Community, Guest Host, Nancy Bragg Community isn't something we discover by accident—it's something we create together. In this meditation group, we are welcomed not because we are the same, but because we honor one another's unique spiritual journeys. Here, compassion, courage, empathy, and healing weave us into a community, where everyone belongs. My Unitarian Universalist congregation is also one of my beloved communities. Beloved community is not just something

Sangha In Buddhism, there’s a Sanskrit word they use for community. Sangha. Sangha is not just a gathering of people. It is people gathering with the intention to produce a mindfulness and purpose to create a harmony of togetherness. We are an intentional community where we gather and harmonize our energies while holding respect for each other, being present with each other and authentic. Each of us participates as we struggle with the division of our minds and our hearts.

THE DOORWAY IS THE MOMENT OF NOW There is such rampant fear in the world so easily found just by visiting the internet or listening to the news or witnessing people struggle. I hold on to my inner peace. I don’t try to hold on…I do to remain impartial on the outside as I feel Iron walls surrounding my heart, ten-foot poles guarding my smile. I stand with the struggle and the presence as I listen to a woman with guitar in hand singing her new song and sharing from her hear

Life Journey I climb up to a bird’s eye view of my life and watch in wonder the seven-month journey I have been on with therapy. And then I remind myself this short journey is just part of a two-and-a-half-year journey that commenced in May of 2025 when I had a life-changing experience in mediumship that I am still processing. I used to wish for my ego to disappear so I could only be with my Higher Self. I have since accepted the fact that my ego is not going anywhere. In fac

True Whispers Pain is a great motivator. It is 2026, and as my outside world stabilized, my inside world became intolerable. Six months ago, I embarked on a therapy journey unraveling decades of trauma in my life. This EMDR journey, motivated by panic attacks and depression, started my therapy regime back to preverbal days, through formative years and into adulthood. Therapy has been a lifeline Daily routines help me find peace and allow me space to process this adventur

Self-Abandonment National holidays are always hard because of memories of what was not possible or can no longer be. Families gather. Celebrations. Partying. I have to approach every day with self-care, and holidays are no different. I reached the core of my pain this week, my core named self-abandonment. I have been scrutinizing self-abandonment recognizing it as the black hole I fall into time and time again. I give in to the strong impulses of body memories and the insa

INTROSPECTION In a conversation yesterday , the word “introspection” came up. Introspection is the examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings. In looking back throughout my life, I can see my emotional/spiritual journey began with therapy after my daughter was born. Her diagnosis of pediatric liver disease catapulted me into my introspective journey. This journey began as an observer doubting what I see and hear. I was amazed I had so many inside opinions wh

Commitment I have learned it takes making a commitment to change my behavior, and at times I find myself unwilling to take a stand for myself. Maybe it is my inner teenager rebelling against the authority which is me. Maybe it is a lack of discipline. Maybe because I just don’t want to. Early morning while just awake, I built a habit to review where I am, what is happening and what I need to do. I have learned to listen beyond the commentary going on in my head. I have learne

Held Together I am held together by my living daughter and her family. I am held together by my wife. I am held together by crafty things. I am held together with movies. I am held together with puzzles and aromas and cooking. I am held together by grounding that keep me in the now. I am held together with technology, zoom meetings and the telephone. I am held together with my intentions. I practice kindness and choose to focus on gratitude. I make choices how I experience fe

How Safe Are You? My wife, Thea and I moved into The Pryde about a year and a half ago. The Pryde is the first affordable LGBTQ+-affirming housing in the State of Massachusetts. We live in the village of Hyde Park in the City of Boston among people striving to belong, survive and thrive. I know how it feels to be objectified as a woman, as a lesbian, and as a victim. I also know how my sense of self-worth is whittled away when I feel fear, believe I am less than and othered f

Nudges Early in the morning with my eyes open, I can see a bookshelf on the other side of my bedroom. My eyes have been drawn to a specific book, and day after day, I ignore the nudge. This has been happening most of this week, until this morning I opened the book. Nudges happen every day as our minds flit from one thought to another. Our minds are so busy, we learn to ignore the ongoing commentary, but we have wisdom within. We also have a lot of useless commentary, fearful

I witnessed it myself, the loud tapping on the window in the kitchen. It was a big black crow, or maybe a raven, and it was definitely rapping on the window. Years ago, my friend, Kay called me with urgency wanting to share what was happening with a crow who had been visiting her window for the last couple of days. This big black crow always came to the same kitchen window and with its beak, rapped on her window. The message held an intensity like Morse code delivered with no

Belonging by Guest Host, Nancy Bragg "True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply, that you can share your most authentic self with the world." Brene Brown Brene differentiates between "fitting in" and “belonging.” In order to “Fit in,” I would need to change myself to be what I think others want me to be as a way to be accepted. On the other hand, “belonging” means I can be myself and be accepted or even embraced for who I a

Wisdom Keepers Appeal to the Great Spirit - Boston MFA How many “start agains” have I muttered each new day I wake up and remember my pain. As I gather more days behind me than in front of me, I also gather wisdom, life experience, and the many wonderful, giving, caring, wise people I call my friends, colleagues, and inspirers that fill my inner file cabinet with tidbits of love and authenticity. One of my wisdom keepers has lived his life, the ups and downs, gleaning the gol

Heightened Moments “They say a heightened moment can be a teacher, that we’re changed if we’re willing to listen to the lesson.” Thea Iberall “Ever noticed how certain moments in your day suddenly make you hyper-aware of yourself, your thoughts, and your feelings? That’s heightened self-awareness in action—those unexpected flashes of clarity that reveal who we really are. While many people think developing self-awareness requires dedicated meditation or lengthy reflection, t