While sorting through old boxes of memorabilia, I found myself surrounded by forgotten pieces of a life I once lived. Old letters, photographs, report cards, and names I had not spoken in decades quietly reopened doors I thought had long since been sealed. As I revisited those fragments of the past, I began to understand…
Many years ago, I worked as a counselor at a youth center in the southwestern part of the United States. Most of my clients were of Native American or Hispanic ethnicity and were referred to me by the police. Occasionally, however, I would be asked by the local schools to see students from other ethnic…
If you could spare me a few moments, I would like to tell you about a young boy who left a lasting mark on my life. The events took place many years ago, when HIV and AIDS were still widely misunderstood in Cambodia. Effective treatment was not yet available, and fear often overshadowed compassion. Many…
While hiding in a storage closet, I wrote the first poem I’d never forget. I was stationed at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, my first duty assignment after boot camp. Before joining the Navy, I had been a Professional Psychiatric Nurse. Yet there I was, back in the familiar company of mops and brooms, assigned to…
At some point, the boundary between seeker and source dissolves.We stop reaching outward and begin to listen inward,discovering that the light we once followed has always been our own.To embody the divine is not to claim greatness,but to accept the sacred responsibility of being alive. I’ve spent much of my life watching leaders—pastors, mentors, elders—carry…
Compassion has been the central teaching of many great Spiritual Leaders and the foundation of most of the world’s religions. I have no doubt that our Creator intends for us to show compassion to one another, and that obeying His will makes our lives freer, lighter, and less burdened. But this raises a deeper question:…
I came across this reflection of mine while revisiting my old website, and its message still feels relevant—perhaps even more so now. Many people carry a quiet fear beneath their faith: that questioning long‑held beliefs might cost them something sacred. Recently, I spoke with a friend who remains deeply committed to Christianity. His concern was…
For several years, I worked as a counselor at a Youth Center in the southwestern United States. While the work had its rewards, it also had its drawbacks. I worked primarily with disadvantaged Navajo and Zuni youth. I also ran a center for the Spanish youth in the area. Most lived on the wrong side…
Lately I’ve found myself in a strange but familiar place — the kind of place you reach after walking a long forest trail and suddenly realizing the path has faded beneath your feet. It’s not frightening, and it’s not sad. It’s simply unclear. A pause. A breath. A moment between what was and what will…
For many years, one of my favorite songs was “Jesus Is the Answer.” I sang it with conviction, believing every word. And in many ways, I still hold that Jesus offers guidance, comfort, and clarity for many of life’s questions. But I no longer believe He alone is the Answer. Because the world’s healing, its…
Throughout history, humanity has searched for meaning beyond itself. We have anchored our purpose in God, nature, destiny, and the great chain of being. Our impulse to survive and flourish feels innate because our Creator wove it into us. Remove the Creator from the equation, and the scaffolding of human purpose begins to wobble. Our…
It was my last day in Cambodia, and the air carried that familiar mix of warmth and dust that had become part of my daily rhythm. We spent the morning visiting some of the SAHAKA children, faces I had known through hardship, resilience, and the slow, stubborn work of healing. By afternoon, we found ourselves…
We live inside a pod. It shelters us, shapes us, and gives us form. Yet the pod is not life itself; it is only a vessel. One day it must break open, and what is within will continue on. For much of my life, I searched for certainty in mysteries. I wanted proof of a…
I’ve often wondered why injustice thrives while truth and honesty remain dammed behind corruption, lies, and misdeeds — a barrier controlled by criminals guilty of horrific crimes against humanity. We long for justice; we crave the truth. Yet none dare throw the first stone, for beneath our polished exteriors lies the same shadowed humanity, the…
My first awareness of different levels of humanity came while serving in the military at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. After being wounded and rescued by a renegade medivac team from what was supposed to be a suicide mission during the first days of Operation Allen Brook, I was sent there to recover. In need…
