Author Archive

“the way it is with children”

Janie Cook | August 6, 2010 | 0 Comments

Today I read an editorial on Anne Rice’s recent comment about no longer professing to be Christian.  She claims to continue to be a “follower of Christ”, but  rejects “being anti-gay, anti-feminist “. . . ultimately “anti-life.” . . .  . her brief but brutal description of what Christianity has become.   She refuses to allow the heart of her [...]

Clearing the Clutter

Janie Cook | July 6, 2010 | 3 Comments

Not long ago my husband and I moved to a new town. Well, not “new” really. We had lived there when we were in high school and college, met each other there and married there. So, in a sense we were moving back home. Still, it was a big change because we had lived in [...]

Letting Go ???

Janie Cook | June 6, 2010 | 2 Comments

There is a contemplative practice called The Welcome Prayer. The more I practice it, the more I realize its wisdom and gift. It goes like this . . . “I let go of my need for security. I let go of my need for affection and approval. I let go of my need for power [...]

The Surprise of Silence

Janie Cook | May 6, 2010 | 3 Comments

I’ve heard it said that silence is God’s favorite language.  Sort of a clever saying . . . but if you really think about it, what does it mean?            I’ve taken myself to silent retreats in a variety of ways over the last few years.  I’ve gone to national parks to hike alone, stay [...]

A Wider Way to Love

Janie Cook | April 6, 2010 | 2 Comments

“Stop the words now. Open the window in the center of your chest, and let the spirits fly in and out.” (Rumi) I remember the day I was interviewed about starting a hospital visitation training program. I had been teaching for 6 years and prior to that coordinating an educational program at a church, so [...]

appropriate risks ?

Janie Cook | March 6, 2010 | 1 Comments

I don’t know who wrote this short bit of wisdom, but it popped into my mind the first time Laura mentioned Risk-a-Day to me, so I searched until I found it. To laugh is to risk appearing a fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. [...]

Living Into New Skin

Janie Cook | February 6, 2010 | 2 Comments

Well, I did it. I actually submitted an article for publication. I’ve thought about doing this, talked about doing this, imagined myself doing this for years and suddenly one day last October, I did it. I’m not sure what made the difference. I had just given a presentation telling about my experience of grief over [...]

The Gift of Uncertainty

Janie Cook | January 6, 2010 | 4 Comments

“It may be when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.”    (Wendell Berry) If there is one characteristic of our culture that seems deeply ingrained in us, it is to be certain.  [...]

Being Safe

Janie Cook | December 6, 2009 | 2 Comments

Our daughter was a Peace Corps volunteer and served 2 years and 3 months in Niger, West Africa. She lived in a little village by herself in the midst of a loving community of poverty-stricken people. She had no running water, no electricity, no trash pick-up, no grocery store, no medical care, no car, no [...]

The Honesty of Grief

Janie Cook | November 6, 2009 | 3 Comments

Sometimes folks who love us grow weary with our grief over losing a loved one and want us to be “better” before we are able.  There is cultural pressure to “be strong” and “be okay” .  It takes patience and inner strength to continue leaning into the sadness  in order to heal from deep within.  [...]