Back when my middle-aged sons were little boys, another young mom from church handed me a copy of Thomas Merton’s Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, […]
About Mary Lee Wile
Saint Simon and Saint Jude: Obscure Saints, Profound Wisdom
I think we need a virtual army of intercessors, led by this patron saint of desperate causes, to help us through our own current “difficult time.”
Through a Glass, Darkly
I smile as the 4-year-old shows me Butterscotch, her much-loved bunny; Butterscotch proceeds to die two days later, and I cannot help or hold the child in her grief.
Scratching in the Cat Box of My Mind
Howard Thurman writes, “In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair.”
Silence and Slow Time: honoring Richard Meux Benson and Charles Gore, monks and mystics
Students found the idea of a week in silence more alarming than a week detoxing from substance abuse, but as full time high school English teachers, my husband and I treasured the time in silence and prayer.
Perception
“Grandma, where’s your mean picture?” asks my seven-year old grandson.“Mean” picture? Our house is full of family photos, paintings, icons – but I can’t think of any “mean” pictures.
The vast expanse of interstellar space
At the local library yesterday, my four-year-old granddaughter listened to stories about stars, and about how everything on earth – including the Earth itself — is made from the debris of exploding stars, known as supernovas.
Jesus with Gray Hair
Jesus with gray hair? That’s not an image I’d ever imagined, not until my six-year-old granddaughter created one.
Epiphany, Inclusivity, and Restroom Wisdom
Not long ago, as I waited to use the restroom at Friendly Toast in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I became intensely aware of the sign on the door
Resurrection, With Wounds
“Resurrection comes amid the deep loss that plunges us into darkness, when life hurts and makes no sense.” Br. Luke Ditewig, SSJE The day after […]