👉 A Wish for This Night Those of us who gather here come to this night carrying many different stories. For some, this evening is full—voices overlapping, plates passed, familiar rituals. For others, it is quieter. A candle in the window. A chair left empty. Inconvenient memories
A Thanksgiving Ritual of Memory and Belonging Thanksgiving has a way of reminding us what’s changed — not only who is missing from the table, but how different we all are from the last time we sat here together. At first glance, it’s all familiar: the scent
Rediscovering belonging after loss and change “Belonging is the opposite of loneliness." — Brené Brown We spend much of life trying to find where we fit — in families, friendships, work, or faith. For a long time, it comes easily enough. Then something shifts. The kids move
There’s a moment before any gathering when the air itself seems to lean forward—when a table is set, a light is turned on, and the silence feels expectant. That’s the spirit of invitation in later life: the gentle motion of opening space for someone else. We
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
As we age, friendship becomes less about expansion and more about attention. This reflection explores how connection matures, deepens, and heals in later life.
Sometimes friendship asks little more than presence. It begins with showing up, with letting conversation wander where it will. The talk can be ordinary—weather, errands, the price of eggs—yet it loosens the knot that silence tightened. You notice how your home sounds different when a
What Our Solitude Is Trying to Teach Us The house stays the same now. The books on the table, the jacket on the chair, the glass by the sink—they wait. When the house was full, nothing stayed still for long. Now even the air feels stagnant.
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
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