Graciela’s Blog

We’re already different. We just don’t know the extent of it yet. We won’t go back. We can’t get there. No use thinking if it’s better or worse. It’s just different. And at the same time, we have a perfect opportunity to think about how we want to live. What do we...

Humans settle in, or not, for an indefinite torture of staying home with all our germs so as not to sicken others in our communities. We do it to take care of the healthcare workers who take care of covid-19 patients, endangering their own lives in the process. We’ve...

I finally got into bed after midnight last night. Technically, it was already Good Friday. The most solemn day of the Christian liturgical calendar. I had participated in the Maundy Thursday service that the Hildegard community had online. We remembered the Last...

One of my favorite lessons has been reclaiming an appreciation for the Cycles of Life. Americans live by a linear notion of time – March follows February, ten a.m. comes before noon. None of that is real. Someone made that up so we can slice our days into tiny pieces...

I’m learning to live a life that is both fierce and tender. I think it means facing challenges even when the odds are against me while still being gentle in my day-to-day. Thankfully, I’m not alone in this endeavor. The world offers many opportunities to put the...

  It was cold and rainy when I left the house on a recent morning. It felt like those fall mornings when I’m glad that the brutal summer heat is gone and winter will soon take over. I added extra layers and grabbed an umbrella. Two hours later, the sun emerged to...

  I love stroganoff but went for years without eating it because I thought it had to have beef and I was cutting back on beef consumption. I also limited dairy consumption and just couldn’t imagine it without the sour cream sauce. Then I had vegan stroganoff and...

St. Hildegard’s Community recently talked about plans for a natural burial park. I’d love to rest forever in gorgeous Texas geography and help take care of the place at the same time. Ten acres of natural burial practices will avoid 1,000 tons of casket steel; 20,000...

Xs and clouds against beautiful blue Wonders Lost – Dreams Regrown We were all so excited when the U.S. landed the first man on the moon. Today, the notion of sending someone to the moon is barely a blip on entertainment meters. Begs the question, what does excite us...

I drew the turkey totem yesterday. Here we are at the end of 2019 and that funny looking creature pops up to impart wisdom. It’s been an awful year. Somehow it makes sense that a weird bird with weird features would offer gifts. Also because I too am funny looking and...