Wariness about change is a kind of prairie wisdom.

If grace is so wonderful, why do we have such difficulty recognizing and accepting it? Maybe it's because grace is not gentle or made-to-order. It often comes disguised as loss, or failure, or unwelcome change.

Acedia is a danger to anyone whose work requires great concentration and discipline yet is considered by many to be of little practical value. The world doesn't care if I write another word, and if I am to care, I have to summon all my interior motivation and strength.

Poets and monks... We're both sort of peripheral to the world.

But in order to have an adult faith, most of us have to outgrow and unlearn much of what we were taught about religion.

The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread, and doing laundry.

In spite of the cost of living, it's still popular.