Bridget Purdome

Voting as a Spiritual Practice

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 […]

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The Gift of an Hour

“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

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Pondering with Wise Oak

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

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Fullness of Life

“What’s on your mind these days?” A friend asked. “Nothing really,” I initially thought. Well…there has been a lot. This spring, I participated in my first Native American drumming circle in Oklahoma and plunged into Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas. I visited my daughter in LA, facilitated a retreat in Racine, and cheered on the

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A Wave Grabbed Me

According to the Internet, the temperature for the Irish Sea near Wicklow, Ireland is 46 degrees today. It’s hard to believe that it was just a few weeks ago that I ventured into these waters. Afterward, a friend asked, “are you mentally unstable?” Another worried that I’d get pneumonia. Others simply wondered, “why?” Why? Good

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On the Darkest Day

On the darkest daythe candle continuesto lure metowards its orange glow. Top of jar blackened by rising smokeremaining interiorcaked in waxexcept for a small circlea window to its soul. I catch glimpsesof the dancing flameas it shows offits alivenessand I wonder:Is this flamealive in me? Happy winter solstice! Bridget Copyright (c) 2023, Bridget Purdome, ThePearlDivers.com.

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The Light Within

As the days grow shorter, I love the return of the holiday lights. It’s only mid-November, and I’ve already participated in several early displays: ZooLights in Lincoln Park, the Great Tree in the Walnut Room, and the City of Chicago’s 110th Tree Lighting. Each was a beautiful, joy-filled outing with great companionship. These holiday light

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