Author: Michael Stevens

I and some family members are in a small town located in far eastern Tennessee where the annual Apple Festival is underway. Parking is impossible. Were it not for the citizens offering their yards...

The overnight low temperature dropped to freezing in the past few days, a sign that autumn is revealing itself. The change in seasons arouses in me feelings of both excitement and dread. Excitement, because...

The date 1888 is etched into the side of the well worn wooden frame of the threshing machine. It spews chaff out one end while spitting wheat kernels into a galvanized steel bucket sitting...

When Buddha saw that being self-absorbed creates a kind of myopia, nearsightedness, he recognized that our limited view is the reason for all suffering. When we do not look beyond our own perspectives and...

Today marks the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Pennsylvania. I imagine there will be all sorts of news reports and ceremonies here and there. It is very strange how we...

I am sitting down and looking around our beautiful little Dharma center while waiting for folks to arrive for our “first Monday” introductory session. A quiet ambience permeates the space and colors of the...

There is a saying in some Eastern spiritual traditions that goes something like this: “The only thing to remember about the first breath we take when we are born is that it brings us...

One of the things I like best about eating in a restaurant is the time I spend watching people. Occupying a space in which there are very few humans with whom I am acquainted...

Wonder is the basis of curiosity—and the curious are always wondering. This morning a robin is seeking a meal in our front garden. The bird walks and listens, turning its head side to side,...

The snowpack was deep this year at Crater Lake. The delayed and lingering melt means wildflowers are revealing themselves later and with profusion. It is August and many species appear to be just waking...