Author: Mary Beth Emerson

My own Spiritual Director, and many of my Spiritual Directors prior, had urged me to do some work on the Enneagram, so when a good Friend invited me to join her for a weekend workshop in the Shenandoah Valley, I did. Mostly for the time with her, but the workshop was illuminative. The time with… Continue reading a both/and life

Ah, Mother’s Day. It’s loaded for sure. Gifts, a card, a visit, fealty? Anger, regret, nostalgia, longing, grieving? We all were born of a human mother, but many of us were not really mothered. And many of us who were mothered may still be living with the scars, while others can look to their foundation… Continue reading mothers & others & lilacs & roses & thorns

In the Christian Liturgical Calendar, it’s Holy Week. And frankly, it’s been a hell of a Lent. CovidTide continues, with cases surging right now as many States and people relax protocols with vaccines becoming more available. But magical thinking won’t protect us. Two more mass shootings have occurred, and the trial of the former Minneapolis… Continue reading hopefully a holy week

woke up so early Shrove Tuesday? maybe or not it’s been Lent so long. I belong to a Poetry Group, and one of our Poets likes to invite us to “Haiku Tuesdays.” The above was my last offering, on a day that in my tradition usually includes pancakes, and sometimes red beans and rice and… Continue reading Lent, so long

Growing up in North Jersey, urban enough but with plenty of access to green spaces, I can’t say that the natural world was where I went first to connect with the divine. It’s taken me decades to learn and unlearn so much I’ve been exposed to concerning God’s location. But creation began working on me… Continue reading submerged in the sacred

For the time being, I’ve adopted Prayers of Examen in the morning and most nights. My morning prayer begins with a request for illumination, which could mean a request for clarity, for wisdom, for light, for revelation. To be honest, in continuing CovidTide, I’ve not felt that much of any of this is happening, actually,… Continue reading illumination

Madeleine L’Engel called it “the irrational season,” and this year, is it ever. Hope hovers on the horizon as the possibility of a vaccine becomes more real, our Executive Branch transitions and lessons learned during this Pandemic imprint multiple new ways, some good — some not — of being community as we emerge into whatever’s… Continue reading Advent

As this global pandemic continues, I’ve been reading quite a few articles about “thinking like a Norwegian,” when it comes to retreating into indoor spaces, and welcoming the waning of the light. The concept of “framing” is mentioned, which in laypersons’ language means looking at an inevitable problem as a challenge or an opportunity. Researchers… Continue reading into the dark

For years, I had a beloved hike along a ridgeline in the Shenandoah Valley that I dubbed “Epiphany Ridge.” The retreat center that was attached to the ridge was a favored place for me and my family for so many reasons: it was the first place I got to tell some of the story of… Continue reading Forest Bathing … really.