Today’s post is by Kimberly Borin, Ed.D. The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James, is an ancient pilgrimage, started in the ninth century and traveled by millions of people from all over the world. The Camino begins in France, Spain, or Portugal and all roads lead to the final destination […]

Today’s post is by Kimberly Borin Create a visual or word image of the feeling of love you have for some person, place, or thing. This means expressing the feeling itself, not simply a subject you love. – John Daido Loori, The Zen of Creativity, Cultivating Your Artistic Life A large white canvas stands before […]

Today’s post is by Kimberly Ann Borin  Angels show up in the most unexpected of ways and this past year was no different. This year, I decided to offer myself a Gift Year. I was yearning to take time off to pursue a theological education and had been discerning for more than a year with prayer, […]

Today’s post is by Kimberly BorinOne day, I was speaking with one of my best friends, Rich. Rich is a constant inspiration and works a successful business coach, business accelerator, motivational speaker, shaper of dreams, and of course, master of his own destiny. He encourages people to move beyond their doubts and to reach out and manifest the dreams of their […]

Every once in a while, we find ourselves making a Shame Sandwich. You know the kind. Usually it starts out with a layer of “bad.” Something we feel badly about like being late, or forgetting a birthday, or leaving that cup of coffee in the microwave for three days. Then, the next thing you know, we add a layer of shame, guilt, worry, and sometimes fear. Of course, we load up on the mayonnaise and maybe even add some old, familiar stale story bread. Then, we get to serve ourselves, a good old Shame Sandwich.

I said “yes” to writing a blog. At the time, writing a blog about something I loved seemed like a piece of cake. I could instantly see all of the prayers I would include, the artwork, the inspirational music videos and more. I was excited to create the blog until I actually started writing and wondering how I would fill its approximately 50 blog posts.

The topic was Lent and all of the days leading up to the magnificent Easter celebration. In the midst of creating the posts I was thinking about my own Lenten journey. I was praying for perfect words and a clean heart so that the posts would be holy and a blessing. I was trying to get it just right and was feeling very overwhelmed.

The practice of Visio Divina offered me new ways of seeing, through God’s grace and eyeglass repair. It was another chance to see the spirit of God and to laugh out loud in the way that God speaks to me and encourages me to see in a new way.

I’d like to share a story with you from my life that speaks about how God uses us and gives us a unique mission, no matter what we have to give. This story has had a life of its own and has been published in books, told in sermons, and shared with students.

The story speaks of how our mere presence can enhance and heal the world through even the tiniest of moments. Sometimes our gift to the world is just a matter of showing up. Sometimes, our gift to the world is our story and knowing that it can offer hope to others.

I was rescued by an angel named Gabriel. It was the last day of our retreat and our leader offered some suggestions. She said it was best to not rush off from the retreat to try to catch up on all the things we didn’t get done. She encouraged us to take our time, drive slowly and rest as we eased back into our busy work schedule. Of course, I felt that somehow I was exempt from her instructions.

The minute the retreat was over and we said our goodbyes, I hopped into my car, threw my bags in the backseat and tried to get out of the parking lot before it got jammed up. Not more than 40 seconds later I found my car bucking, jerking, revving, and on the verge of stalling at the next traffic light. I was horrified and immediately filled with dread. I had no time to deal with a problem car.

Lucky for me I made it to the next large building, a spa. I found it interesting to have just left a retreat center and to barely have made it to the parking lot of a spa. I parked the car, gave it a grimacing look, and went to the spa to call Triple A. I growled at myself for not having listened to our retreat leader and wondered if I was being punished for not following the directions.

I was praying and filled to the brim with so many ideas, desires, and hopes. I was looking for a new direction, a calling, next steps, and a road map clarifying the journey ahead. In my earnest prayer, I asked, “Lord, what shall I do next?” I sensed a small whisper of an answer. I heard this:

“ Sit.”

Surely, I must have missed something. Sit? Was this it? I was hoping for something with at least two syllables, something grander, maybe even life changing! I thought perhaps I must have misheard, so I prayed again and again and then again on another day. The answer was always the same, a gentle loving nudge to do nothing else but “Sit.”

There are serendipitous moments that wake us up to the beauty of life and our connection to all of it. Daisies on the side of the road, the sound of children laughing, a perfect sunrise, or inspirational art can capture our attention and draw us into gratitude. Here, in this place we are fully present to what is and are opened to peace and grace.

fireflies_flickrI recently had a moment just like this. I came upon the first fireflies of the summer season. Seeing their gentle lights took my breath away. I felt like a young girl seeing them for the very first time. The fireflies brought my attention to the present and in that place I was in awe and grateful for the miracles in all of life. Everything in life seemed just right. It was a moment of grace.

Today’s post is by Kimberly Ann Borin  Recently, I had an experience that reminded me of the life-giving power of breath, the wind and the spirit of God. Each day, I walk along a road that winds around a large lake. On the road, the wind can whip across the lake making for a strong headwind, […]

Today’s post is by Kimberly Borin

Recently, I had the good fortune of being on retreat with the Shalem Institute at the Bon Secours Retreat Center. During our retreat we were blessed with beautiful, delicious meals, which often included soup! One day, in the midst of our silent retreat all I could think about was soup. As I got closer to the soup pot, I could see that there was very little soup. In addition, there were no more soup bowls or soup spoons.

I felt defeated but I was determined to have soup! I found one of the caterers and asked for a bowl, and pointed to the soup. She looked at me in an odd way but gladly handed me a bowl. I went back to the line and started ladling bit by bit whatever soup was left in the pot. The ladle made quite a bit of noise scraping the bottom and sides of the pot as I determinedly filled my bowl. I was desperate to get whatever was left.

The person, behind me was quite patient, despite my constant dips of the ladle into the fairly empty pot. She remained serene even with all of the clanking of my soup seeking gestures. After I was done I noticed that she put some of this soup all over her turkey. “Hmmmm, That’s a nice idea,” I thought to myself.