Bridget Purdome

Start small with a tiny baby an old carpenter and a wide-eyed teenager. Add a weary donkey an inquisitive cow and some wandering shepherds with their smelly sheep. Place a bright angel in the scene as a reminder that Spirit is present in the quiet and the ordinary. Wait awhile for three wise guys, who […]

I’ve never considered myself an evangelist, but I find myself wanting to shout from my sixth floor condominium: Try a hot sauna and a cold plunge! There’s this little truck that comes to a Chicago area beach three mornings/week. It is fully equipped with a sauna that seats up to six people. Folks can register

I feel sadfor Mother Oaklooking so thinafter shedding all those leaves.Surely she’s grievingafter so much loss. Standing tallshe winks at me,and says,“There’s freedomin letting go.” My breathing slowsand I’m in touchwith a spaciousnessinside of me. Finally, I nodand respond, “I know.I know.” Together we standand share the joy. Copyright (c) 2024, Bridget Purdome, ThePearlDivers.com. All

As I bike the Chicago lakefront path, I notice the black, gray, and white clouds swirling over the pale orange horizon. A few patches of bright blue sky are also emerging. I stop to gaze at this spectacular sight and begin to notice the swirl of post-election thoughts and emotions in me. Eventually, some questions

Yesterday morning, I was bombarded by aggressive text messages from a relative I’ll call “Jay.” Jay was boasting about the presidential election and trying to convince me that God had prevailed. I was struck by the line, “God is on my side.” I wonder, “Who is this God that is on Jay’s side?” and “Does

Depending on the season of the year and the season of my life, my evolving spiritual practices include centering prayer and other forms of meditation, gardening, swimming, biking, writing, watching sunrise and sunset, and even picking up sticks. These are all activities that I engage in with the intention of paying attention to the movement

“What are you going to do with your extra hour this weekend?” Every year, a friend and I exchange texts around this significant question. While standard time ushers in a season of dark afternoons, it also provides the sweet gift of sixty extra minutes. A whole hour to use as I wish. And to my

I know it’s October, but the lure of Lake Michigan remains strong. On Saturday, I put my swimsuit on, layered it with clothes, and loaded up my bike basket before heading to my favorite beach. The whitecaps looked rough as I passed other Chicago beaches. It was clearly not a swim day, but the autumn

Light filtering through its branches, Wise Oak is full and green even as crunchy hints of autumn litter the ground below. “I wonder, Wise Oak, how do you stand with such elegance while on the brink of so much loss?” The tips of Wise Oak sparkle and dance as the wind blows through. Wise Oak

I sat in the gray, dingy, basement classroom with two other volunteers in our matching red shirts and a group of detainees who were dressed in tan “scrubs” and Velcro sneakers. It was my turn to invite the men into the Centering Prayer practice and keep track of time.  I struck the singing bowl three