Seven of us piled into the Toyota Landcruiser and drove off a half dozen miles from the lake. We were going to visit our friend Eusebio before leaving Peru.  Where the road ended, I scrambled out to walk another half mile across the barren altiplano landscape — three children in tow, baby on my back, husband in front, and our trusted friend, Ed, in the lead.   We were warmly welcomed by Eusebio and his... [more]

As I grew up in the Los Angeles area I saw the few stars that shone through the hazy, but very well lit sky.  I knew there was more up there than the smoggy and light polluted sky showed, but I had rarely seen it.    In my senior year of high school our youth group went to a camp between Christmas and New Year’s Day.  The camp was well up into the mountains, above... [more]

In the grand scheme of things, the surgery I had scheduled to replace my deteriorating hip was “routine.”  Hip replacement is one of the most effective and successful procedures in the annals of surgery, having been performed many thousands of times with few complications.  “You’ll be fine,” I told myself.  “Many friends have undergone far more complex surgeries and come through just fine.”  Conversations with my doctor and other knowledgeable and experienced friends (like Rosalie!)... [more]

  —Charles T  [more]

My cousin, Jesse Gillette, died in June of 2006. We’d been good friends at times, especially as youngsters. I went through some bleak times in my life after Jesse’s death and for a period was gripped by a terrible fear of death. At that time in my life I seemed to be hopelessly stuck on a path I didn’t want to be on.   Two years to the day after Jesse’s memorial, I had a... [more]

I wish the dying process were more like the movies — relatively quick without protracted pain or suffering — but it seems it’s rarely that way. It certainly wasn’t for my brother-in-law, John, as he went through this process a few years ago. He’d been diagnosed with colon cancer that eventually spread to his other organs and, bit by bit, over the year, his body deteriorated from the handsome, vibrant, strong man he used to... [more]

I’ve always found it challenging to listen to God’s voice — but on one occasion, I heard it very clearly.   A number of years ago, as part of my job, I drove up the Washington coast to Westport, near Grays Harbor, to observe testing at a school.  I stayed in a motel right on the beach, overlooking the ocean.  When testing was finished for the day, I was free for the rest of the... [more]

This is, indeed, one of my treasured stories of Light on my spiritual journey.   It was one of the first times, if not THE FIRST, I came to worship with West Hills Friends.  I was in the midst of a time of spiritual confusion, of losing faith in a theology that had carried me through childhood, young adulthood, and safely into my early thirties.  But that day at West Hills I had nothing, and... [more]

When skies are clear on Winter days, the sun beams through tall windows and sparkles across the 90-degree therapy pool. Often the only one present, I feel the freedom to twirl and splash.  The salty water holds me upright.  I can dance in the beauty, joy and wonder of warm, liquid Light. —Thea [more]