These are all really great posts. The beauty of your writing,the depth of your thoughts, your sensitivity (especially to suffering), your striving to know and feel and be–all of these things are so inspiring.

I really liked Tiny Teacher–the lovely way it was written and the idea of appreciating the moments before things fall apart. That is a very deep thing that we so often miss. The image of the web stayed in my mind–after my first reading a while back–and has helped me to pause and be grateful in the midst of my versions of chaos.

Especially resonant were your thoughts in Pass the Potatoes. I had been dining on lots of “potatoes” for a while but am entering another phase of dealing with a veritable dessert buffet.

Although I am coming from a different vantage point in some ways, given my current religious framework, I think I very much understand the feelings and tensions you describe. For me, these times are exciting, scary and stressful all at once, but they seem (at least in retrospect!) to be the periods that push me deeper. It’s good to keep going for potatoes in the midst of it all–as a touchstone and balance.

I wish you peace, potatoes and just the right dose of dessert this year.