A weekly collection of inspiration and resources for the journey, gathered from websites, books, and pass-alongs that have been shared with us. From The Wisdom Years – Spirituality for the Last Third of Our Lives.
Praying
by Mary Oliver
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
From Devotions – The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
On-demand e-courses for Lent
From Spirituality and Practice
With on-demand e-courses, you study independently and schedule the pace of the course yourself. Once you subscribe, you choose how often you want to receive the material. The Spirituality and Practice website offers courses from teachers such as Thomas Moore, Fr. Thomas Keating, Rami Shapiro and others. Ash Wednesday is February 17.
To see the selection and for more info.
Crossing the Threshold: Contemplative Foundations for Emerging Leaders
From the Shalem Institute
Crossing the Threshold is a program to nurture the spiritual life and strengthen the contemplative foundation of those who sense their grounding in God and want support/mentoring as they seek to cross the threshold to claim their call to leadership and all of life, living from this contemplative foundation.
This is a 19-month program with 2 residencies on Zoom. Early Bird Deadline is March 1. Program begins in April, 2021. Scholarships are available.
A free information sessions will be offered Feb 18 at 5 pm (ET).
Tending the Rituals of Our Lives: A Practice Invitation
Begins Sunday, Feb. 14
From A Network for Grateful Living
From small, daily practices to the most important moments of our lives, rituals guide our journey; bind us to one another in celebration, gratitude, and loss; and return us to ourselves when we are most in need. They become the cairns along the trail of our lives, offering direction and clarity, meaning and reassurance. Often, they hold the keys to transformation.
A Stone’s Throw Away from Everybody
by Fr. Ron Rolheiser
“How far is a stone’s throw? It’s distance enough to leave you in a place where no one can reach you. Just as we come out of the womb alone, we leave this earth alone. Jesus faced his death knowing that he was loved by others but also knowing that in the face of death he was entering a place where he was deeply and utterly alone.”
Fr. Ron is teaching at several upcoming retreats and workshops via Zoom. He is a wonderful teacher, and the events are moderately-priced. Highly recommended.
Words That Matter and Things That Matter
by Diana Butler Bass
“We need the counter-cultural practice of silence right now. This month, I’ve been thinking a lot about silence — and longing for it. Perhaps because of the January 6 madness, the screaming of the rioters, the QAnon lies. But partly because of the breathless, continuous outrage on social media and in the news. There’s a continual demand to take sides, speak out, prove one isn’t “complicit” with whatever structural injustice has become viral on any given day.”
If you have something to add to Gathered Wisdom, send it to Marjorie George at
marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com
Gathered Wisdom is from The Wisdom Years, a ministry that invites older adults to deepening spirituality in the last third of their lives. If someone forwarded this to you, learn more about The Wisdom Years and subscribe to the site at
ww.wisdomyears.org.
The Wisdom Years 
Thank you, Marjorie. I’ve begun subscribing to Diana Butler Bass since you introduced her blog on Wisdom Years. This was a great article. Hope you are well. It is COLD here in Indiana today!! Lucy Wieland 315 Greenwood Ave Greencastle, IN 46135 765-653-3548 H 765-721-1861 C “You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending “ ~ C.S. Lewis
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