Shared wisdom
And an invitation to a new Substack I've started!
I’ve always kept “Quote journals.” I’m not as faithful about it now as I once was. And, if I’m honest, lovely journals have been replaced (mostly) by a cut-and-paste Notes App collection.
It’s not as whimsical and fun as handwritten notes, with occasional doodles, and colorful ink…but it does result in the same thing, a collection of wise words, insights, and beautiful phrases that “sparkled and shimmered” for me. This is a curated collection I can come back to and find delight, hope, wisdom, and courage! If I’ve cared enough to write or copy and paste a quote, it meant something, and over time, I find the same words continue to resonate, widen, and offer their gifts.
My clumsy hands “forced” (I dropped my phone on the asphalt and… it wasn’t a good outcome, but I did get a new phone…) me to cull through my phone this week. Amid grocery lists and random reminder notes, I found a collection of wisdom.
We are just a few days away from my son’s high school graduation (I’m fine. It’s fine. We are fine…where did the time go??!) So hearts are tender, and creative energy is low. I thought I would share some gems I revisited this week, after the big phone crash.
I hope something speaks (sparkles, shimmers) to your heart and soul as it did mine.
“It is a wise person who knows where their negativity lies and yet does not become addicted to it.”
John O’Donohue, Anam Cara
“When our wounds cease to be a source of shame and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.”
—Henri Nouwen
“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them, every day begin the task anew.”
-St. Francis de Sales
“If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much that you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.”
— Clarissa Pinkola Estés
“But you cannot control everything. All you can do is face the world with quiet grace and hope you make a sliver of difference. You must trust that you being the best possible you matters somehow. That being an attentive and generous friend and citizen will prevent a thread or two of the social fabric from unraveling.”
Brian Doyle
“A person’s way of being human is the most authentic expression of their belief or unbelief. A person’s life speaks more about their faith than what they think or say about God.”
from Tomas Halik’s book “The Afternoon of Christianity.” (Nov 13, 2025)
“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
- Eric Roth
A special note:
I’ve started a new Substack!
I’m about a year and a half into a four or five-year process of becoming ordained as a priest in the Episcopal church.
I’m starting an M.Div program in August and moving deeper into my formation.
I want to keep my writing here at Smaller and Deeper what it is, and I’m also ready to share more of what I’m thinking, feeling, learning, wondering about, and challenged by as I move forward in this calling.
Right now, this is a private Substack (meaning only people I share it with can find it). I might change that as it develops… or not… time will tell.
I plan to post regularish. I have lots of ideas, and I’m in an interesting period of transition, moving into several years of intentionally focusing my time and energy on my studies and practical formation.
If you would like to follow along, I welcome you! (You will need to subscribe to have access!)
