Tag Archives: Mary Oliver

On Not Waiting to Be the Hummingbird (redux)

Posted on July 15, 2019 by KGJ

The Life and Death of Lee Hawkins First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque July 14, 2019 A quarter century ago, I asked the coordinator of my grandmother’s hospice care, how my grandmother was doing – not medically, but spiritually.  She said … Continue reading →

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Befriending Death: An Excursion (sermon)

Posted on March 26, 2017 by KGJ

The Unitarian Society, East Brunswick, NJ Our reading can be found here. Dylan Thomas’ most famous lines are these: Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against … Continue reading →

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On the Resurrection of Beloved Dogs (poem)

Posted on October 18, 2015 by KGJ

“Everything is mortal. It dies. But its parts don’t die. Its parts become something else. And we know that when we bury a dog in the garden. And with a rose bush on top of it.” (Mary Oliver, interview with … Continue reading →

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Pastoral Prayer: Possible Angels and Miracles

Posted on October 18, 2015 by KGJ

(This prayer was inspired by a poem from Mary Oliver, “The World I Live In,” a copy of which I have not yet found on the interwebs, and thus cannot link to it.) May the Spirit of Meditation and Prayer … Continue reading →

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Coming to the Pond: Surrender & Prayer (sermon)

Posted on August 9, 2015 by KGJ

Unitarian Society of Northampton & Florence August 9, 2015 (The Mary Oliver poem referenced in this sermon can be found here.) When I joined my first Unitarian Universalist congregation, this very one, nearly twenty ago, there was not much tolerance … Continue reading →

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The Hope of Raspberry Brambles

Posted on April 23, 2015 by KGJ

It’s risky, writing about hope without being in touch with at least some semblance of it, particularly when one aspires to be a minister. My post yesterday for today’s Earth Day was not hope-giving. It was well-crafted. It was articulate. … Continue reading →

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What To Do? Syria and Helplessness

Posted on September 9, 2013 by KGJ

I have been thinking about and reflecting upon and experiencing feelings of helplessness a lot lately.  There’s good reason, some of which is too personal to go into here, but it’s been a major theme in my spiritual life this … Continue reading →

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Soul Searching Ahead: Unitarian Universalist Conversations on Race

Posted on August 7, 2013 by KGJ

Over and over, the dangers of oversimplification rang forth.  Participants maintained — indeed, they demonstrated — that all of us engaged in the struggle against racism and other forms of oppression — no longer need to fear or avoid conflict, … Continue reading →

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City Called Wait: Where Not Everything Is Lost

Posted on June 5, 2013 by KGJ

Not all that long ago, I flew to the West Coast to visit my mother.  Originally, the tickets I had bought were superb: one layover for less than an hour.  Just enough time so I didn’t have to worry about … Continue reading →

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