February 21, 2026 As They Are When you are with your childrenbe one with them.Let every part of your body relaxand become as supple as your child’sAllow all expectations and anxieties to melt awayso that you can see clearlyLove them as they areIn this very moment,without needing to change a thing When their lives are filled with troubleallow events to unfoldwithout pushing or straining, and you will understand clearlywhat your role should be.   You nourish them without possessing themYou guide them without controlling themYou help them without worrying The Parent’s Tao Te Ching, by William Martin Dear Friends, Happy Lunar New Year!  Recently, Tricycle magazine invited me to write a short reflection on what I am practicing. As a divorced mother of a teenage son, working full-time and teaching meditation on weekends, I have very little time for formal sitting. My mantra is “small moments, many times.” Some days I find fifteen quiet minutes on the cushion or lying on the bed. Most days, I find brief moments of awareness scattered throughout the day. As …

October 16, 2025 “Use the heart of leaving the world to do the work of entering the world.”  A Chinese saying Dear Friends, How are you? The foliage is turning gloriously in upstate NY the last two weekends.  One of weekends I attended a retreat called “Sacred Bridge: Uniting the Heart of the Amazon and the Peaks of the Himalayas” at Menla.  It brought together the leaders of the Amazonian tribe Yawanawá and members of the Tibetan community to share what it means to preserve and protect the rich heritage of indigenous cultures in today’s world.  It gave me hope and optimism as I listened to the young generation discuss activism and how they carry their culture forward.  I am still processing this experience and will share more when I can articulate it in words.  Since writing last month about cultivating creativity through curiosity, I have been sitting with the a quote by Elizabeth Gilbert, where she believes that one’s motivation to create art or writing does not need to be rooted in helping others. That idea …

September 3, 2025 “Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart. The rest of it will take care of itself.” “Your fear will always be triggered by your creativity, because creativity asks you to enter into realms of uncertain outcome, and fear hates uncertain outcome.” “What you produce is not necessarily always sacred, I realized, just because you think it’s sacred. What is sacred is the time that you spend working on the project, and what that time does to expand your imagination, and what that expanded imagination does to transform your life.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear Dear Friends, How are you? Can you believe Labor Day has already passed and the fall breeze is here? According to the Chinese lunar calendar, fall began in early August. I’m always amazed at how accurately the temperature shifts mirror that ancient rhythm. Lately I have been thinking about what creativity and authenticity mean.  We often associate creativity with the arts, but life itself is a creative act.  That means we are often confronted …