The Sacred Ordinary is the practice of recognizing that everything—washing dishes, walking the dog, holding a loved one’s hand—can become a spiritual act when we slow down and pay attention. It’s not about doing more. It’s about noticing more.

Stillness is not something we wait for. It’s something we create, a sacred pause we enter intentionally, even for just a few breaths at a time. Here are five simple practices to help you find that stillness this season, to connect body, spirit, and heart no matter what the holidays hold.

When we think of grief, we often picture funerals, tears, and loss through death. But grief takes many forms. It can arise whenever life changes in ways we didn’t choose or expect. We grieve when we lose faith in something that once gave us meaning—a belief in a Divine presence, a spiritual community, a sense of purpose, or even confidence in our own country or values. We grieve when we no longer recognize who we are or what gives our days shape…

Doubts and questions may feel terrifying. But they are also holy invitations. In spiritual direction, we don’t run from these moments. We sit with them. We honor them. We listen.

At the heart of all the work I do—whether I’m sitting with someone in spiritual direction, supporting a family through the death of a beloved animal, guiding a student toward greater confidence in their English, or creating a wedding ceremony that captures the beauty of a couple’s unique journey—one practice remains constant:

Listening with the ear of the heart.💗👂