These signs and exhortations often trouble me. Because knowing when and how to cease, or stand aside, or be calm, are also really valuable physical and spiritual lessons to learn. Someone should write a Spirituality of Stopping.

“The first batch of proofs of the Trespasser arrived last night. I will wage war on my adjectives.” D.H. Lawrence, April 5, 1912 #writinglife

Even with God's hand reaching down, and the Holy Spirit dive-bombing your head, sometimes you still scratch your head in writing frustration. #writinglife

Tomorrow is the feast day of Celestine V. I told his story years ago in a book that HBO optioned, "The Pope Who Quit." He was pope in 1294 for only 15 weeks before walking away, wanting nothing more to do with worldly power. Pray for us, St. Celestine.

This picture was taken at his book launch.

One of the best titles ever used for a book📚on religion and current events.

Couple yrs ago, my 12-yr-old talked with a girl at school about Passover. She, at church, told her Sunday school teacher about my daughter, her new Jewish friend. The teacher said: "That's nice, but she can't be your best friend. Your best friend has to be a Christian." We have so much work to do.

Fascinating www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-...

After Thomas Merton met with Chatral Rinpoche in the Darjeeling Himalayan region of West Bengal, he journals about their immediate connection almost ecstatically. This was no "warm and cordial discussion,” like he'd had with the Dalai Lama. (November 16, 1968)

My friends when they were tiny 6 years ago today.

I'm delighted to share the book I have releasing in early December. 'A Year with the Classics' Here's the cover, the frontispiece, and Contents page. @stmartinspress.bsky.social 🙏❤️📖

I’m skeptical.

Ted Lasso actor Cristo Fernández signs contract with professional US club www.theguardian.com/football/202...

I'm delighted to share the book I have releasing in early December. 'A Year with the Classics' Here's the cover, the frontispiece, and Contents page. @stmartinspress.bsky.social 🙏❤️📖

At the miracle of San Genarro's blood, Naples (Italy) with Brendan Walsh, 17 years ago today. I’m looking forward to being there again next month.

Swallow at our bird box. #lovingspring #vermont

“I wish God would give his mills a rest - I hate being eternally, slowly ground.” DH Lawrence, from a letter, quoting Longfellow (July 12, 1913)

God telling St. John telling his scribe what to write.📚

St. Francis of Assisi used to teach: We should take turns being like mothers to each other. He was onto something.

My daughter said to me one day when she was 8: "Every person has two hearts inside them. There's the heart they need to keep them alive, and there's the heart that's for loving people. They are separate."

"You cannot write for children. They're much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them." Maurice Sendak

Today’s parashah: You must provide for the redemption of the land.

The honest religious thinker is like a tightrope walker. -Wittgenstein

For those who think we up here in Vermont are just a bunch of secular liberals, look at the front page of our largest daily today.

I’m with Pope Leo.

Rabbits eat the tops off snow peas. Deal with it.

I think this has to be the first time I've been translated into Hungarian. ujvarosonline.hu/lelkiseg/any...

About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters: how well they understood It’s human position; how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along. W.H. Auden, 1938

My enthusiastic review of Mark Nepo’s new book www.spiritualityandpractice.com/book-reviews...

My daughter taught me a paddy-cake song when she was 6. I said "Who made that up?" She said "Nobody. It's just famous." A future religious studies major.

My daughter wrote a satirical cartoon about me when she was 7.

Maybe my favorite of all the Meister Eckhart poems. From “Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart”❤️📚

At Bartley’s #harvardsquare today. #redsox

Everything except language / knows the meaning of existence. (Les Murray)

Monastic scribes making corrections in the margins. (From St. Mark's Monastery, Jerusalem)

I found this at a bookshop yesterday. Pretty scarce! 1898.

I find it bizarre that scientists interested in theology talk so much today about love. "Love and consciousness" "love energy" etc. We've never known how to define love; why do we think it's now a matter of physics?

This is so me.

Monday night will be our anniversary. We don't have a date by the Gregorian calendar, but on the Hebrew calendar it is called Lag B'Omer, a night for bonfires. We had one on a hillside in Vermont 16 years ago. Some of you were there. I hope you are well! And thanks.

Important by Cardinal McElroy, Archbishop of Washington: It is “essential to identify and reject three major distortions of Catholic teaching on war and peace that have crept into our national dialogue.” www.americamagazine.org/faith-and-re...

"Is your manuscript finally done?" "I think it is." "So is it perfect?" "It's never perfect. Eventually, you just stop." 📚📚📚

Good Lord can we please stop talking about AI for a minute! Just got my ‘Thoreau Society Bulletin’ and even its lead article is on “Thoreau’s note of caution in the age of AI.” No.

Keep that Easter tomb empty. (From "Meister Eckhart's Book of the Heart")

Walking the dog off leash this morning, we encounter another owner with a dog off leash. He’s usually very friendly. But sometimes he gets a bit nervous. Same.

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” Meister Eckhart

And with a perfect score on the quiz!

So is Dean Koontz a Catholic writer? I was pondering this here ten years ago. www.americamagazine.org/books/2016/0...

Part one of a new biography of Dr. King that will publish in May. I haven’t started reading yet, but notice this blurb by Jonathan Eig. He won the Pulitzer for his biography of Dr. King a couple years ago. What a mensch to call this new book, which is competition for his own, “A revelation”! #books

A prominent author said to me, "I don't see writing books in the future. The time it takes isn’t justified by the audience the book finds. I'm looking to reach my audience more effectively." I of course explained that this is a sign of the end of the world as prophesied by all the major religions.