(Sitting at the microphone)

Maria and I recorded our eighth podcast today, we talked about the week on the farm,  hay, the farrier, Bud, but mostly about our determination to help people, and what we have learned about it, the limits, rewards, and benefits.

In our divided and sometimes angry country, finding ways to help people in a bounded and practical way has become the spiritual foundation of my life, and I believe Maria’s life as well.

We do this in a number of ways, and we have learned much and made many mistakes along the way. I believe that every great spiritual leader I have ever followed – St. Augustine, Jesus, the writers of the Kabbalah, Thomas Merton, the Dalai Lama – has said the same thing – a meaningful life begins with the calling to reach out to the needy and the vulnerable.

That is the point, the pathway to a meaningful or spiritual life.

Yet so few people – especially among our leaders – follow this universal call.

This idea has given me a faith, a grounding over the past four years that is profound and powerful. And I am eager to share what I have learned. I’m not here to tell you what to do, only to share what I have done, and Maria hopes to do the same. She speaks for herself on her blog.

Maria tells her story on the podcast about her art is her vehicle for reaching out to people and seeking to connect with them. In the past couple of years, we both have been getting messages from people thanking us for sharing our lives and for showing our own vulnerability.

I am always surprised by these messages, but also grateful for them, they are fuel that inspires and encourages me. You can download our podcast here, You can also download the podcast by going down to the yellow button below.

And thanks for listening.