Tidying up is about more than putting things back where they belong. The simple rhythms of clearing a room, organizing a shelf, or tending to everyday spaces can become quiet acts of gratitude and care. With warmth, gentle humour, and pastoral insight, this reflection explores the holiness hidden in ordinary housekeeping, reminding us that as we bring a little order to our surroundings, God is often gently at work bringing peace and renewal to our hearts as well.
Tag Archives: Spiritual Reflection
God in the Everyday (and on the Golf Course)
God’s presence is not confined to sanctuaries or sacred seasons—it can be discovered just as readily on a golf course as in a church pew. Fairways, friendships, missed putts, and moments of quiet beauty all become opportunities to notice grace at work. With warmth, gentle humour, and the perspective of both priest and golfer, this reflection explores how ordinary recreation can become a place of gratitude, renewal, and deeper awareness of the God who walks every course alongside us.
Walking in the Company of Christ (and a Few Hobgoblins)
The journey of faith is rarely free from distractions, doubts, or the little “hobgoblins” of fear and self-importance that try to accompany us along the way. Yet Christ walks beside us through it all, offering courage, humour, and steadfast companionship. With warmth, gentle wit, and the wisdom of pilgrimage, this reflection explores the grace of travelling in the company of Christ, discovering that even our imaginary hobgoblins lose much of their power when we keep our eyes fixed on the One who faithfully leads us onward.
Home Again, Home Again… Even on Vacation
Coming home after a pilgrimage is a joyful reunion with familiar places and familiar people, yet it also reveals that home itself is never quite the same. The journey has quietly changed the way we see, appreciate, and inhabit our everyday lives. With warmth, gentle humour, and a grateful heart, this reflection explores the blessing of returning home, reminding us that the greatest gift of pilgrimage is learning to recognize God’s presence just as clearly in the ordinary rhythms of home as on the roads we have travelled.
I’m Not Dead Yet: Notes on Scams, Saints, and Silly Letters
When an absurd scam letter accidentally becomes the occasion for laughter, perspective, and gratitude, it reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. With wit, self-deprecating humour, and a pastoral eye for grace, this reflection explores how even the silliest interruptions can become opportunities to celebrate life, cultivate joy, and give thanks for the ordinary gift of simply being alive.
Walking the Camino Episode 13: From Compostela to the Clubhouse: Pilgrim Feet and Family Fairways
Returning home from pilgrimage often reveals that the lessons of the Camino belong just as much on familiar fairways and everyday paths as they do on ancient roads in Spain. With warmth, gentle humour, and gratitude for family, this reflection explores the joy of carrying a pilgrim’s heart into ordinary life, discovering that grace continues to unfold wherever we walk with attentiveness, companionship, and thankful hearts.
Walking the Camino Episode 12: Going South to Go North
The Camino may eventually come to an end, but the work God begins through pilgrimage continues long after the final destination is reached. Returning home invites us to live with new eyes, slower rhythms, and a deeper awareness of grace in ordinary life. This reflection explores the transition from pilgrim to everyday disciple, reminding us that the most important steps are often the ones we take after the journey is over.
Walking the Camino Episode 11: When Queens Becomes the Next Stage of the Camino
Pilgrimage does not end when we return home—it simply changes landscapes. The lessons learned on ancient paths continue to unfold in familiar places, revealing that classrooms, workplaces, neighbourhoods, and everyday routines can become the next stage of the journey. With warmth, gratitude, and gentle humour, this reflection explores how the Camino continues long after Santiago, reminding us that every new season offers fresh opportunities to walk with the same attentiveness, humility, and grace that shaped us on the road.
Walking the Camino Episode 10: The Journey Home… Or, How Not to Get to Toronto in One Day
The journey home from pilgrimage is rarely as straightforward as we imagine. Delays, missed connections, and unexpected detours have a way of reminding us that even the trip home has lessons to teach. With warmth, self-deprecating humour, and the perspective of a seasoned traveller, this reflection discovers grace amid travel mishaps, revealing that God’s companionship extends through airports and interruptions just as surely as it does along the Camino itself.
Walking the Camino Episode 9: The Day Before the Journey Home A Day in Santiago
The final full day of pilgrimage is often filled with gratitude, reflection, and the quiet realization that the journey has already begun to change us. As the prospect of returning home draws near, we discover that the true destination has never been a place alone, but a heart made more attentive to God’s presence. With warmth and gentle wisdom, this reflection explores the bittersweet grace of preparing to leave while carrying the gifts of the Camino into the life that awaits beyond it.