March 12, 2016

An Inclination Toward Warmhearted Inclusivity: How We View and Serve the Autism Community

Autism is often depicted in limited terms, as a social deficit. A poet who works with the autistic community learns a valuable lesson about a different way of seeing through an experience with a red-tailed hawk.

Essay

March 5, 2016

A Marathon of Survival: Hidden Love and Honoring a Protector

Written by Michelle Friedman

Each year in New York during the marathon, an intimate gathering of Holocaust survivors come together. A tapestry of memory unfolds, telling the powerful stories of the survivors and the courageous people who protected them.

Essay

February 28, 2016

On Being Mortal: Theological Ponderings on Cancer

Written by Norman Allen

In the waiting room of a doctor's office, the dramas of life and death play out quietly. A reflection on the power of paying attention to the stranger, and to the burdens we all carry.

Essay

February 23, 2016

The Perils of “Stranger Danger”

Written by Rikha Sharma Rani

What gets lost when we erect a fortress around our children? A mother glimpses the beauty of trusting strangers around her daughter, and discovers the risk of losing the village to our own fears.

Essay

February 16, 2016

No Less Than Holy: Finding Communion in #BlackLivesMatter

Written by Lucia Cowles

An ethic of care, community, goodwill. These are things we all seek. An intimate account of #BlackLivesMatter capturing the intimacy, challenge, and familial spirit of the movement.

Essay

February 15, 2016

The North Star: Taking Refuge in One Another

Written by Sharon Salzberg

Many of us feel cast off and and think we have to go it alone. But what if we took solace in the third refuge of the community? Sharon Salzberg with a video meditation on standing in line and counsel on how we might thrive in our connectedness with one another.

Essay

February 3, 2016

Chutzpah and Humility: Five Habits of the Heart for Democracy in America

Written by Parker J. Palmer

We're trained to demonize and combat those who disagree with us. But what if we cultivated better habits that didn't unravel the fabric of our civic community?

Essay

January 14, 2016

Widen the Circle of Love

Written by Omid Safi

Pride for our identities and communities can be a source of strength. Pride can also lead us to forget empathy for those unlike us. A generous reminder that the reach of our compassion must stretch beyond the familiar.

Essay

January 9, 2016

Of All Commandments: Sitting Beside My Neighbor

Written by Martha Park

What does it mean to carry a gun and "love your neighbor"? A writing instructor delves into the idea of neighborliness and fear through her training as a tutor and a pivotal passage from the Bible.

Essay

December 11, 2015

Managing Our Own Terror

Written by Courtney E. Martin

In periods of fear, the catalysts of panic can sometimes be ourselves. Courtney Martin on the importance of mitigating our own fight-or-flight response in order to retain our compassion and humanity toward one another.

Essay

November 22, 2015

The Day My World Unraveled

Written by Parker J. Palmer

Parker Palmer pens an elegy to mark the anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination — a balm for a hurting world.

Essay

October 16, 2015

How the Sausage Gets Made

Written by Courtney E. Martin

It's easy to mentally sanitize and romanticize the creative process, but the real work is done in the clutter and the mess of daily living. An enconium on imperfection, self-doubt, and the importance of pushing through.

Essay

October 13, 2015

Revisiting Memories of Middle School

Written by Hannah Rehak

What person or story comes to mind when you think of middle school? An open invitation to reflect and respond about your experience of early adolescence, in middle school or junior high.

Essay

October 9, 2015

The Power of a Crew

Written by Courtney E. Martin

We often think of "genius" as a belonging to individuals, not as something nurtured by community. Courtney Martin challenges this idea, thinking back on the writers group that continues to inspire her work today.

Essay

September 30, 2015

Breathing New Life into “We the People”

Written by Parker J. Palmer

Politics can divide more often than unite. But, deep involvement in the civic sphere doesn't mean we have to sacrifice empathy and civility.

Essay

September 25, 2015

Small Is Still Beautiful

Written by Courtney E. Martin

What if we stopped focusing on scale so much, stopped equating size with success? Courtney Martin looks to a new better off where we invest in people and businesses within walking distance for a more stable economy and community.

Essay

September 15, 2015

Everyone Is an Equal Stranger

Written by Talha Jalal

Our digital selves are becoming an integral part of our real-life identities. A think-piece grappling with the shifting nature of how our digital world is redefining our sense of belonging and its potential to foresee the projected forms of our shared future.

Essay

September 6, 2015

Dancing with Dirt and Making Community

Written by Mihee Kim-Kort

Fitness events and organizations are popping up and deepening community in powerful and unexpected ways, which many consider spiritual. A mother and Presbyterian minister tells the story of entering one of those muddy races and finding camaraderie in a manner she longs to experience in her own church.

Community

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An Inclination Toward Warmhearted Inclusivity: How We View and Serve the Autism Community

A Marathon of Survival: Hidden Love and Honoring a Protector

On Being Mortal: Theological Ponderings on Cancer

The Perils of “Stranger Danger”

No Less Than Holy: Finding Communion in #BlackLivesMatter

The North Star: Taking Refuge in One Another

Chutzpah and Humility: Five Habits of the Heart for Democracy in America

Widen the Circle of Love

Of All Commandments: Sitting Beside My Neighbor

Managing Our Own Terror

The Day My World Unraveled

How the Sausage Gets Made

Revisiting Memories of Middle School

The Power of a Crew

Breathing New Life into “We the People”

Small Is Still Beautiful

Everyone Is an Equal Stranger

Dancing with Dirt and Making Community

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