I put on my clunky oversized snow boots and slopped through the frozen slush. Everything was canceled, and I needed to move my body. My mind needed a break, and my heart yearned for completeness, and as I trudged along,
National Anthem of Love
I was invited to arrange and perform the Star Spangled Banner for a Portland Trailblazers basketball game on St. Valentine’s Day with Carin Miller, principal bassoonist for the Oregon Symphony. Being the day that it was, I wondered how could
A Prayer for Ukraine

Improvised at Lewis and Clark College, March 3, 2022
Joy in the Guise of Hope

As a teacher, my desire is to pass along the inspiration I feel, the knowledge I’ve gained. As I venture day by day into the gift of getting to know my true Self, I’m often challenged with how to present
A Gift Given

I’m about to share something dearly close to my heart. On July 4th I led an all-star group of colleagues and former students in a concert celebrating Ananda’s 50th anniversary in California. As we played Life Is the Quest for
Learning From Fear vs Learning From Love

Reading Gabrielle Bernstein’s The Universe Has Your Back on my way to North Carolina for my niece’s wedding last weekend, I had an idea that is changing me completely: What if I choose love instead of fear as my teacher? We’re here
The Choice to Survive or Thrive
When my daughter was born, I learned about FTT (failure to thrive), which refers to decelerated or arrested physical growth in infants. But how about decelerated or arrested spiritual growth? Am I thriving and happy? Am I growing? Or am I
Walking the Talk Amidst Crashing Worlds
I’m in the midst of a tumultuous situation that rips out my heart and stomps on it, with no easy solution in sight. It’s not important for you to know details, but I bet you’ve felt something like it in
Music as a Message of Love
This week in the midst of teaching and performing, I had the rare experience of being overwhelmed by love. A love so powerful I could hardly breathe. Part of me wanted to run away from its overpowering presence, but the
When the Heart Breaks Wide Open
Just a few weeks ago we skirted the edge of the Camp Fire’s devastation as we drove by Paradise, CA. Choking on the heavy smoke, we walked into the Target in Chico, passing mountainous piles of donations for those who had