The Sacred Braid

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Tag Archives: Nature

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Life-Line

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
1
Today's Life-Line is: The Beautiful Changes One wading a Fall meadow finds on all sides The Queen Anne’s Lace lying like lilies On water; it glides So from the walker, it turns Dry grass to a lake, as the slightest shade of you Valleys Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Autumn, Beauty, Change, Loss, Nature, Poetry, Richard Wilbur, Wonder | 1 Reply

Life-Line

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
1
Today's Life-Line is: We learn to praise God not by paying compliments, but by paying attention. Watch how the trees exult when the wind is in them. Mark the utter stillness of the great blue heron in the swamp. Listen to the sound of the rain. Learn Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Attention, Frederick Buechner, God, Nature, Praise | 1 Reply

Life-Line

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
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(LABOR DAY) Today's Life-Line is: Messenger              by Mary Oliver My work is loving the world. Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird--- equal seekers of sweetness. Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums. Here Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Gratefulness, Joy, Love, Mary Oliver, Nature, Wild Life, Wonder, Work | Leave a reply

Natural Happiness and Incarnations of Beauty

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
3
A Reflection in Three Parts Part Two         Thinking of the power of awe reminds me of another one of my spiritual heroes, Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. A fallible and faithful friend Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Awe, Beauty, Dorothy Day, Happiness, Nature, Simone Weil, Wonder | 3 Replies

To the Unseeable Animal

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Daniel J. Miller
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My daughter: I hope there’s an animal somewhere that nobody has ever seen. And I hope that nobody ever sees it. Being, whose flesh dissolves at our glance, knower of the secret sums and measures, you are always here, dwelling in the oldest sycamores, visiting Read more [...]
Posted in Poetry | Tagged Animal, Enchantment, Faith, Mystery, Nature, Poetry, Wendell Berry, Wonder | Leave a reply

God — The Beloved Community

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Daniel J. Miller
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This past Sunday was the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Before we get too far removed from it, I’d like to offer a few reflections on this central mystery of our faith. When it comes to the Trinitarian nature of God, some Christians grew up with Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aliveness, Community, Divine Love, God, Life, Mystery, Nature, Thomas Berry, Universe | Leave a reply

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Sample of Writings

  • What a Christian Looks Like
  • The Life of Sigh
  • The Song That Refuses to Sing
  • A Word to the Wise – Kindness
  • To Bless and Be Blessed
  • Listening to the Wind in the Wheat: A Meditation on the Eucharist
  • Being Human—Being Moved
  • In Gratitude for the Wild and Precious Life of Mary Oliver
  • TheGift Who Was Claire Wineland

Sayings of Brother Weeps

  • Brother Weeps Says Good Night
  • Brother Weeps and the Secretary of State
  • Brother Weeps and the Man in the Back
  • Brother Weeps on the Withness of God
  • Brother Weeps, the Hermit and His Dogs
  • Brother Weeps Speaks on Silence
  • Brother Weeps Drives Up a Hill
  • Brother Weeps and the Do-Si-Do

Recent Posts

  • We the People February 17, 2026
  • A Prayer of Martin Luther King, Jr. January 19, 2026
  • This is True December 22, 2025
  • Lectio Poetica No. 13 — We Will Be Known How? February 25, 2025
  • Shouldn’t Christians Try Christianity? February 10, 2025

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The Almond Tree

Programs


Interested in having Dan come to your community to teach, preach, or lead a retreat? Dan offers Parish Missions, as well as Presentations and Retreats, in a variety of formats .

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Spiritual Direction


Interested in Spiritual Direction? Dan is based on Whidbey Island north of Seattle, WA. He meets with people online and occasionally in person. He also is available to teach in spiritual guidance programs or to give talks about spiritual direction.

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The Human & the Holy


Interested in being part of a spiritual formation community? The Human & the Holy is an ecumenical community that comes together once a month to share simple ritual, contemplative silence, reverent dialogue, attentive listening, presentation, and spiritual practice.

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© Daniel J. Miller, 2013-2026. All Rights Reserved.
For more information contact Dan Miller.