Spiritual Direction in Daily Life
My Resources
Over the years, I created workshops for a variety of retreats led at various places. The common thread in them all was “listening to your life” and having the time and space to be prompted by questions, quotes, time set aside in community. I have selected some of the more “evergreen” topics and handouts from these workshops to share, in the hopes that they might still speak to people even, maybe especially, in these times of deep change, uncertainty and grief. And also hope. On the pages, I reach for poetry, quotes and questions to come at the topics from a variety of directions. Feel free to in turn share them.
Navigating Change and Transition
There are so many ways change comes into our lives, throughout our lives, and it can bring so many challenges and invitations. Surprise, loss, gradual shifts, new glimpses, deep uncertainty and more. This workshop, originally given at a Marble Collegiate Church Women's Ministry retreat in the summer of 2024, explores a range of ways to respond, move with and trust change.
Finding Home
This retreat celebrated the soul's lifelong yearning for home. Throughout our lives, that longing to be at home—with ourselves, with others—manifests in many different ways, and has much to teach us. And amidst change and transition, a sense of “homeground” is vital and can show up in many surprising and wonderful ways. A concept that both includes and goes beyond the wonders and mysteries of geography, these pages invite you to ground yourself in many ways the sense of home may speak to you.
Navigating the Wilderness Times
Throughout our lives, wilderness times come upon us. They can test everything: Our sense of self, our faith, our trust. This workshop explored a variety of wilderness experiences, and offered a wide range of tools for coping with and surviving them, especially when it’s hard to see a way out. Is God at work in these times? How can we tell? Does provision sometimes appear in unlikely ways? I share this in the hopes something will help in some way.
Whatever our age, each of us is on a pilgrimage filled with our own crossroads and thresholds… calls to new life and questions about what needs to be put down. A “threshold” may be change that has happened… or something you are amidst… or something that is emerging but not yet clear. Some are chosen; others come about because of a change in circumstances. Whatever the origin, thresholds bring change and invitation, wonder and sometimes worry. But always they ask for engagement: Deep listening, patient exploration, and trust.
Threshold Times: Pilgrimages Amid Inner and Outer Change
Trusting the Unfolding:
Engaging Life’s Current Calls
At any age, and whatever our circumstances, our inner and outer lives are in the process of unfolding: Changes may be afoot, chosen or not; new intimations or longings may be beckoning; the people in our lives are amidst their own shifts. To be a “disciple of our unfolding” means to attend to both the surfaces and the depths of our lives: to take time to listen to the stirrings, and to the patterns and surprises that are emerging. It is to honor the ongoing creation that is you and your many gifts and calls in the world. This handout explores many ways to listen for and work with unfoldings.
Blessed by What is Within:
Claiming Your Power and Call Anew
We all have sources of faith, strength and inspiration--people and events from our past and present, current nudges to continue to grow and claim our unique selves, clues and confirmation from Scripture and the example of Jesus. What helps in the essential task of using our gifts well--and what holds us back? This workshop blended quotes, quick, intuitive exercises and more to give you wide-ranging ways to listen for what is most vital and emergent now.
Main Header Photo Taken at Mercy by the Sea Center