the centers, and when MWH visits it reinforces the work of these partners. As a professional musician, Mulondo often serves as an ambassador on his tours. He is frequently invited to perform and speak at community and senior centers. He has also performed on Dr. Bill Thomas’ Second Wind Tour and Age of Disruption Tour, a series of performances designed to engage communities who are building new and vastly more rewarding visions of aging. The spirit of interconnectedness, generosity, hope, and love that infuses the work of MWH epitomizes grateful living. MWH creates a vital space for people to be with and move beyond trauma and pain in a way that cultivates wonder, joy... posted on Oct 12 2018 (6,890 reads)

them upon those we cast in the role of the Wrong, who may do the same in turn. How, amid this ping-pong of righteousness grenades, do we maintain not only a clear-minded and pure-hearted relationship with reality, but also forgiveness and respect for others, which presuppose self-forgiveness and self-respect — the key to unlatching the essential capacity for joy that makes life worth living? That is what the wise and wonderful Anne Lamott considers with uncommon self-awareness and generosity of insight throughout Almost Everything: Notes on Hope (public library) — the small, enormously soul-salving book that gave us Lamott on love, despair, and our capacity for change. ... posted on Jan 8 2019 (7,101 reads)

refining perception, being able to see deeply into ourselves and others, to notice the nuances of life. Then there's the practice of wisdom, of insight, and understanding. And finally all these practices culminate in service.  Service is both a goal and a means of spiritual practice.  Another thing that really stood out in the three years of writing about the seven essential practices was that all the contemplatives said if you want to develop qualities like ethical living, or generosity, or patience, spend time with people who embody these qualities.  Consciousness is catchy. We become like those we are around. All the sages emphasized the importance of like-minded co... posted on Jan 17 2019 (6,412 reads)

sacrificing to feed our ever-increasing desires. We need to remember the simple wonder of the natural world around us, which St. Francis celebrated in his beautiful Canticle of Brother Sun: Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth,  who sustains us and governs us and who produces  varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs. Yesterday, when I went to my small vegetable patch to pick a few zucchinis for supper, I was once again amazed at the Earth’s generosity, how one plant could give so many vegetables. I had to look carefully under the spreading leaves to discover a zucchini unexpectedly growing almost too large. This is the sacred life that s... posted on Dec 16 2018 (8,102 reads)

I had an actual kind of visceral and physical memory of reaching out towards my mother and feeling her body recoil. And it was in that moment my inability to hug my beautiful child fell away from me, and I was able after that to hug him.” Clare Dubois: Toward a New Nature-Based Feminine Consciousness Claire is the founder of TreeSisters.org, a quickly-growing women’s crowd-funding and consciousness-shift campaign to inspire and direct the brilliance, creativity and generosity of women towards the reforestation of the tropics and shared leadership around ecological restoration On the cyclical nature of the feminine: “The feminine intelligence is equ... posted on Jan 21 2019 (7,079 reads)

these problems, genuinely creating action and programs and thousands of little initiatives to help people. But in some deeper way, the whole thing, actually, I started to realize, was a conservative exercise in protecting the system that kept us on top. Ms. Tippett:You shine a light on language that we’ve all heard so much these days, language that, on a superficial hearing, sounds good: “Doing good by giving back.” But then you peel away — that, also, is an idea of generosity that is a substitute for the idea of justice. Mr. Giridharadas:I think your picking up on the language point is so important. This is as unequal a time as America has been in 100 years. ... posted on Feb 22 2019 (4,979 reads)

involves a sort of conquest, a conquest of self. It is the same domination of nature, this time turned inward. Now I have to say, this story is quickly becoming obsolete. Even its scientific dimension in genetics, physics, and biology are crumbling. In complexity theory, we understand that order can emerge spontaneously out of chaos, without an external organizing force. In ecology, we understand that the wellbeing of one is inseparable from the wellbeing of all. So let me talk about gift, generosity, and gratitude from the perspective of another story, a new and ancient story I like to call Interbeing. In the story of Interbeing, life is a gift. The world and everything in it is a g... posted on Feb 6 2019 (9,558 reads)

our project with two weekends of three days each, first in MA and six months later in KY. Our website handsacrossthehills.org has detailed stories of our exchanges, which included homestays, dialogues, cultural sharing, music, dance, art and local sightseeing. We wanted the in-person exchanges to be long enough for some genuine relationship development and personal transformation, and short enough to accommodate participants’ family and work obligations. My gratitude overflowed at the generosity of our Western MA community in their outpouring of food, funds, venues, program ideas, enthusiasm, and all around support. Gratitude has been a thread throughout, and I know is now shared b... posted on Feb 25 2019 (7,431 reads)

and support them.”  Now we teach inmates every week—theater scenes and exercises. I knew I was given this skill set as a gift from God, and I had to share it. It takes a whole afternoon to go to the prison.  Some days I’m tired. But I just stop my mind from thinking. I explain the exercise to them and sit back. I’m not teaching, but they bloom like flowers! The inmates are our brothers and sisters.  And they are so talented, so full of hope, and generosity. It is a blessing to be with them. I receive way more than I give. The Theater Arts classes, and College Guild are the bright spots of hope and beauty in our prison system. You can see i... posted on Feb 23 2019 (8,025 reads)

large chloroplast awaits the gathering beam of light. Packed with chlorophyll ad membranes of exquisite complexity, the chloroplast converts the light energy into a stream of flowing electrons. This is the electricity of photosynthesis, turning sun into sugar, spinning straw into gold. But more than a biological marvel, Schistostega presents a parable of patience and its bountiful rewards — an allegory for meeting the world not with grandiose entitlement but with boundless generosity of spirit; for taking whatever it has to offer and giving back an infinity more. Kimmerer writes: Rain on the outside, fire on the inside. I feel a kinship with this being whose cold l... posted on Mar 29 2019 (7,074 reads)

stipends or transportation. How does the Ceres Project plan to grow? Ceres is planning mindful local growth to fully utilize the capacity of our three kitchens and two gardens; growing our Affiliate Partner network by onboarding new members and providing ongoing support; and work on policy issues including foodcare, organics, and food standards for meal providers. How does gratefulness inspire you to make change in the world? We feel profoundly grateful for and inspired by the generosity and dedication of the Ceres community, and deeply committed to use those gifted resources to the greatest good. If you could encapsulate one message for people who are served by the Cere... posted on Apr 5 2019 (4,790 reads)

Tippett:The On Being Project is located on Dakota Land. Our lovely theme music is provided and composed by Zoë Keating. And the last voice that you hear singing at the end of our show is Cameron Kinghorn. On Being was created at American Public Media. Our funding partners include: The John Templeton Foundation, harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest and most perplexing questions facing human kind. Learn about cutting-edge research on the science of generosity, gratitude, and purpose at templeton.org/discoveries. The George Family Foundation, in support of the Civil Conversations Project. The Fetzer Institute, helping to build the spir... posted on May 28 2019 (5,478 reads)

the envelope were the words “floating money.” Mary loved the everyday people—the ones who delivered letters to her mailbox and brought her clams they’d just dug up from the sand. And though she lived reclusively, she always found out who “her people” were, and found a way to help them. There are families whose rent she paid; a young girl who needed braces for her teeth, a friend, down on his luck, who needed a car and a place to stay. And while Mary’s generosity to others is its own legacy, what I want to emphasize here is her strength, for more than anything, Mary Oliver was courageous. We now know, through some of the later poems, a few of the... posted on May 26 2019 (32,090 reads)

cherry blossoms have arrived, and it feels like nature has handed us a beautiful gift. At the Japanese Tea Garden, here in San Francisco, I lean into a low hanging blossom and inhale the delicate sweet scent. The wet pink petals touch my nose, and once again, I am reminded of the generosity of nature, year after year. From the air we breathe, to the body we each inhabit, we are living a profound gift, and yet, we can struggle to see and relate to life as a gift.   In his seminal book, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer, Brother David Steindl-Rast poses a question worth pondering: “Why is it so difficult to acknowledge a gift as a gift?” He believes that admitti... posted on Jun 23 2019 (6,845 reads)

Zoë Keating. And the last voice that you hear singing at the end of our show is Cameron Kinghorn. On Being is an independent production of The On Being Project. It is distributed to public radio stations by PRX. I created this show at American Public Media. Our funding partners include: The John Templeton Foundation. Harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest and most perplexing questions facing human kind. Learn about cutting-edge research on the science of generosity, gratitude, and purpose at >templeton.org/discoveries. The Fetzer Institute, helping to build the spiritual foundation for a loving world. Find them at fetzer.org. Kallio... posted on Jun 7 2019 (6,255 reads)

a small village in Zambia of about 3000 people situated on a gentle hillside.  Everyone lived in mud huts, no electricity or running water.  There was a pump at the bottom of the hill, to which all the villagers trudged many times a day with buckets in hand.  And yet there were geraniums planted in bleach bottles cut in half to frame the doorways of the huts.  There were dogs and cats nurtured as pets.  In the midst of what we would consider impoverishment, there was a generosity of spirit that could create room for extraneous beauty and the love of animals.  And a humbling hospitality for this wealthy American who was so busy taking video that he didn’t ... posted on Aug 20 2019 (10,257 reads)

person who brings the blessing is so deep, so deeply embedded in the Scriptures. You've led this life of such paradox. You bridge one of the wealthiest pockets in the world. Sister Marilyn: Yeah, I live in Silicon Valley!  Pavi: Soon you will be flying back to Sudan and you live a hair's breadth away from these cultures of extreme violence and the totem pole that you just described; those women who reside at the bottom. And yet you also live so close to acts of extraordinary generosity, humanity, to communities that have such a deep understanding of community that it almost puts our Western world to shame a little bit. Would you speak a little bit about the deep nobility ... posted on May 6 2021 (3,613 reads)

of lyric prose. The book is published by Milkweed. The full title is Hearth: Global conversation on community, identity, and place. It was a project funded I think by Susan O’Connor, who lives in Hawaii and has been dedicated to work of this kind for the last forty or so years. And Annick Smith is a Montana writer. She’s the partner of William Kittredge, who’s also in the book. So, they knew me; they stuck with me, actually practising the kind of kindness and generosity that they’re speaking of in the book. Also though, combined with a sort of rigour—the care they took in the editing of my work. And bear in mind: I’m the author of a book ... posted on Dec 2 2019 (5,706 reads)

to be loud and angry. What we had made with our book was a hymn of protest against the depletion of our natural world and our place in it. Our hope had been to draw the eye, the heart, and in this I think we have, to a point, been successful. But it also taught me so much about human nature. The book has become a gift, given within families, to schools, to libraries, by so many people working together, giving time, money to campaigns, and these groups of people has become connected through generosity and hope. It has been used to engage readers from 0-90 and beyond, with those at the ends of their lives finding peace in the pages, respite for the soul, meaning. And already the music, st... posted on Dec 12 2019 (6,959 reads)

in some moments, or seeking what cannot be found. Those limitations don’t simply go away—not for me, nor for you, nor for anyone. But we are privileged (even if awed) to be present in these very interesting times, facing realities that people before us couldn’t countenance without horrified despair. It may take us many tries to get this right (and even then, we are never perfect), and our failures may even be costly. But, with self-compassion, self-forgiveness, and generosity, we can see our way through. On the other side of all disillusionment and even despair, there will also be joy, and goodness, and beauty. Like spring after winter, or new growth after a ... posted on Feb 3 2020 (9,064 reads)