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In my early thirties I was commuting 3 hours a day to work. I was a newly hired tenure-track professor in School Psychology, preparing and teaching all new courses, and trying to publish in order to get tenureship…

Life has been feeling like a lot, hasn’t it? There’s so much going on in our cities, states, and countries. We are feeling the pain of countries on the other side of this planet we are all living on. It’s a lot, probably too much for anyone to take in.

I was lucky enough to have a deep conversation with Youske Eto, a hospice social worker in Oregon and faculty member of the Authentic Presence program.

Beyond teaching me to have fun for its experience, Twig and Cash were always present during our time together.

During my summer trip to France this year, I decided to visit the Normandy beaches. Being a World War II buff, I was very excited to see firsthand the place where one of the most momentous days of the 20th century unfolded.

Drawing is just this really simple humble act of paying attention and honoring who people are.

Seeing others as another you can break down barriers and help us develop more understanding and compassion for people beyond our friends.

“Restorative practices provide hope. Let’s repair the harm, let’s restore humanity and let’s reform the systems and our way of showing up.”

I want to *know for sure* that our democracy will prevail and that we will have peace and justice.

The Lily Project is a group of talented and motivated high school students from across the Twin Cities hoping to inspire change through art.

The Compassion Museum set up its first interactive pop-up exhibit at Boyd Park in Saint Paul last weekend.

As I’ve restructured my schedule to incorporate compassion as a regular practice, there has been a marked change in my disposition, mood, and reaction to my fellows.

“There’s something incredible about being able to put your art out into the world when what you’re putting out is something with a message and has meaning and there’s a point to it.”

Roshi Joan Halifax calls fear, pity, and moral outrage the “enemies of compassion.”

Feeling unmoored by fear often brings me to practice acceptance.

In Buddhism, interbeing includes everything: animals, plants, humans, minerals. Everything. Damage to one is damage to all.

I often think back on a time when I was given one of the greatest gifts of kindness—a real lesson in life I will never forget.

Like many of my White friends right now, I’m searching to grasp how the oppression of people of color intricately weaves its way through us.

Lately, I have been caught in the tension between “being” and “doing.” I want so much to help heal this broken world and to keep myself and my loved ones from being torn apart by it.

Nothing prepared us for Michael’s death, but his life prepared us for living in the world of possibility.

I have been searching for a metaphor that really captures the way this pandemic has changed my daily experience.

We are wired to connect with others. But then when we are exposed to visible signs of others’ suffering, why do we tend to harden our hearts and become cold and indifferent?

How can we help each other from a distance during this pandemic?

It’s amazing what a little, personalized message can do. Send words of encouragement to seniors living in long-term care facilities…