Musing on obituaries with your name on it.

Remembering Lerita Coleman Brown

Musing on my personal non-liturgical liturgical calendar that runs from December 11 - December 10 each calendar year.

"In radiant, lyrical prose, Gail Straub takes us on a voyage like no other, both into little-known places across the globe and, most memorably, the inner realms of the soul. …..this is a journey that no reader will forget and, I believe, all readers will, in their own way, hope to emulate."

Author and empowerment pioneer Gail Straub's latest book Home Inside the Globe: Embracing Our Human Family. This is Gail's second time on Contemplify (hear our first conversation here), and like our previous conversation we find the heart of the conversation in the flow of presence in the sacred. The writing of Gail Straub inspires me to draw from the currents of our shared humanity, to witness and honor the profound connections that transcend all borders. I think she will do the same for you.

Visit Gail Straub at gailstraub.com

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Mark Longhurst is an author and contemplative guide who has spent years exploring the sacred dimensions of everyday life. In our conversation we talk about his book The Holy Ordinary: A Way to God, a beautiful invitation to discover the divine presence woven throughout our daily movements. Mark draws on his experiences as an activist, pastor, father, husband, art enthusiast as a way to gladly open portals to the sacred. The Holy Ordinary is for all of us mudblood mystics out in the world.

Visit Mark Longhrust at Substack | IG: @ordinary.mystic

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Haleh Liza Gafori is a translator, performance artist, vocalist, and educator whose work bridges ancient Persian mysticism with contemporary spiritual longing. In our conversation we talk about her latest book Water, a luminous collection of new translations from the 13th-century Persian mystic Rumi, following her acclaimed debut Gold (you can find our first conversation on Gold in the Contemplify archives). I am moved by Haleh's ability to make these masterworks sing, bringing Rumi's timeless wisdom about surrender, divine love, and ecological awakening to this moment. Visit Haleh Liza Gafori at halehliza.com | IG: @halehliza

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"This book is just what the world needs right now. At a time when tensions are hot, divisions are growing, and uncertainty is the order of the day, Sacred Parenting is a call to reconnect with what matters most: our children, our families, ourselves, and our God. The authors offer gentle wisdom and contemplative practices as antidotes to the high-volume, fast-paced, do-or-die world in which we live."

— David M. Csinos, founder and president of Faith Forward, research director for Family Faith Every Day

Rev. Dr. Aizaiah G. Yong and Rev. Nereyda "Neddy" Yong, authors, speakers, and incarnational advocates for contemplative parenting. In our conversation we talk about their book Sacred Parenthood: Spiritual Practices for the Highs and Lows of Parenting, a profound exploration of how we can approach raising children as a spiritual practice and sacred calling. Aizaiah is the executive director of @Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at Saint John's Abbey and University. Neddy is the Director of the Radically Inclusive Parenting Project. Aizaiah and Neddy bring a beautiful blend of contemplative insight and practicality that I will transform the way you think about the ragged and holy work of raising children.

• Visit Aizaiah G. Yong at collegevilleinstitute.org
• Visit Nereyda "Neddy" Yong at inclusiveparents.org
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This is a repost of my conversation with Dr. Larry Ward. Dr. Ward passed away on August 19 at his home in Rhode Island. He was a Buddhist teacher, author, and co-founder of The Lotus Institute. He left behind a legacy of peace and advocacy for healing individual and collective trauma. I only ever interacted with Dr. Ward online, but his big soul, wisdom, and laughter came through with so much heart. My daughter and I tuned into his online memorial which held his spirit… we joined in the prayers and listened to the stories from his students, friends, and loved ones, it impacted us both. Dr. Ward's wife and co-founder of The Lotus Institute, Peggy Rowe, will continue their work. As we lose elders, those we barely know and those we consider kin, a desire to honor them and cherish them in their passing arises, so I am sharing this again. and if you so moved, head over to thelotusinstitute.org and consider supporting their work. With that, please enjoy this rebroadcast of Dr. Ward's timeless wisdom and joy.

Dr. Larry Ward is a senior teacher in Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village tradition, the author of the book America's Racial Karma, and co-author with his wife, Peggy, of Love's Garden: A Guide To Mindful Relationships.

Dr. Ward brings forty years of international experience in organizational change and local community renewal to his work at the Lotus Institute. He holds a PhD in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Buddhism and the neuroscience of meditation, and has trained at the Trauma Resource Institute. Dr. Ward and I talk about humanity's greatest weakness, learning from our teachers, the impact of fragrance as a teaching metaphor and so much more.

Visit Dr. Larry Ward at thelotusinstitute.org | IG: @thelotus_institute

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"You can trust Amy Frykholm as a modern-day amma who knows the terrain of the soul. Reading Journey to the Wild Heart is like going out to the desert for a word. It helps us slow down, let go, unknow in Silence, and embody Love.―

— Carmen Acevedo Butcher, author of Practice of the Presence

Amy Frykholm is a writer and journalist who makes her third appearance on Contemplify (round one, round two) to talk about her latest book Journey to the Wild Heart: Four Invitations to Contemplative Living. Amy is an award-winning writer, scholar, and journalist whose work insightfully explores American religion and culture. Her debut novel High Hawk has been long-listed for the 2025 PEN/Hemingway Award. This is Amy's third time on Contemplify, so you will not be surprised that in Journey to the Wild Heart Amy weaves together ancient mystics to modern poets and philosophers, inviting readers into deeper knowing through reflection and practice.

Visit Amy Frykholm at amyfrykholm.com

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"To read a new and selected collection is to experience the evolution of a voice, in this case an essential voice in American poetry. To sit with the whole of these transportive, immersive poems is to awaken like a wild riparian corridor in spring. Wildflowers on the banks. Birdsong in the branches. The reader's heart is a bud: open. Beautiful work."

Poet Todd Davis's latest collection is Ditch Memory: New and Selected Poems. This is Todd's third time on Contemplify, and like the previous conversations we find our charge in the sacred strides of cultivating attention. The poetry of Todd Davis stretches me and helps me scratch the dirt of what is real, to taste and relish my short passage through this world. I think he will do the same for you.

Visit Todd Davis at todddavispoet.com

• Ditch Memory: New and Selected Poems
• Coffin Honey
• Native Species
• Winterkill
• In the Kingdom of the Ditch
• Todd Davis's full catalog

• Dave Shumate
• W.B. Yeats
• Mary Oliver
• Wendell Berry
• Hildegard of Bingen
• David James Duncan
• Chris Dombrowski
• Mary Rose O'Reilley

• Sleepytime tea with Peace Orange Tea with a dab of honey