Reflections on The Big Lonely and Michael Nelms “I heard of this movie years ago but never had the opportunity to watch it. But this morning, unexpectedly, it found me again — except this time it was right on time. There’s something about the serene stillness of this morning that seems
When stillness becomes the teacher “In Your stillness, joyfulness is unfolding…” A reader sent us that line in response to our recent Spiritual Signals reflection, On Stillness. His poem, titled In the Quiet, reads like a prayer to solitude—not the kind that isolates, but the kind that restores. It’s a reminder that silence
When a smile restores our sense of worth “I’m an old woman now, and smiles are so appreciated—especially when they come from younger people. So often as we age, one can feel invisible, not of much value in this busy, impersonal world. Being acknowledged in that way warms my heart and
“I have found that the simple act of a genuine smile is powerful in changing the mood of a person.” A reader left that comment on a recent post, and we haven’t stopped thinking about it. In a world where words often do too much, a smile says just enough. It
The quiet work of forgiving oneself and facing fear in later life. When Facing Fear, Finding Freedom appeared on Spiritual Seniors, one reader wrote to us with a note that lingered. It was direct, unguarded, honest—the kind of truth that feels less imagined than lived. “I recognize my greatest fear is abandonment.
Across different languages of faith and practice, we keep finding the same thing: at our best, we belong to one another. In a recent Spiritual Signals article “On Healing and Hope”—we explored how small practices (prayer, meditation, quiet intention, community, time in nature) can steady a hard day. We also let
A response to “The Shadow of Fear: Why Men Go Missing in Spiritual Conversations.” When we published our article on men and their fears, it struck a chord. Among the responses was one that felt deeply personal yet broadly representative of what many wrestle with in silence. “I have been
The spaciousness, where introverts find strength within. Introverts—the quiet majority—remind us that not everyone experiences community the same way. Some of us lean into the joy of being surrounded by people. Others find that same closeness overwhelming. Both are true. Both are human. And both belong in the circle. One reader put
A Bit of Fading One of our readers sent us a quiet, luminous poem after reading our recent article The Gift of Growing Smaller: Ego and Aging as Spiritual Practice. She titled her piece A Bit of Fading—and in just a few lines, she captured something profound about the second half
“I retired just about a year ago and now find myself volunteering on a level that’s pretty much like the job I left. No wonder I’m miserable. I didn’t really retire—I just changed jobs. Retirement is supposed to be about nurturing your authentic self. Letting my ego fade. And yet