When in doubt, just give thanks.

A week ago, I found out a fellow yoga teacher suffered a stroke. She didn't look like someone with a pending stroke. I always saw her as Wonder Woman, physically, emotionally, psychologically.

Today, at yoga, a student shared her deep frustration in her dealings with a bank. Normally she is cool, calm and collected. This obviously pushed her button. After yoga, a long time student shared with me her constant struggles with her 15-year old son. Then coming home, there's a message from my sister in California. She said my mom fell while getting into a car and had to be hospitalized. She's now in rehab and will come home in a week and a half. And then my wife shared an office mate's niece woes. Ahhh, yes. Life.

On the other hand, I received happy news today that I might be going to Memphis this winter to kick-off a series of maybe 10 one-day workshops called Active Prayer Day being set up by my book's publisher, Paraclete Press. I will join the 2 authors of the other books in the Active Prayer Series, Sybil MacBeth of Praying in Color, and Ellen Prewitt of Making Crosses.

How about you? What has been life-draining, and what has been life-giving for you recently? Can you hold both in thankfulness for the privilege of being alive?

Let everything that breathes -

Praise the Lord.

-Psalm 150