[embed]https://www.flickr.com/photos/90171279@N00/6430417797/in/photolist-aNezbn-65Rpcg-6e1yMN-pFjraa-dmehbL-aB74tY-P5BHcR-dvsq59-9fx3N4-5F7Cfi-63L32B-71fj8u-q4B7YQ-znGDrp-FR3Psc-2bT7SNT-2cKpDc1-PgCU97-JB34E6-268a5nV-AM7gSA-6ujZ74-v8npZ5-XfhNbT-yqJHs4-9zf7Xf-5oaDKQ-wATXgB-2fNUepv-atatFC-PHDiqL-7gXG2-8aV7Nm-gusgXY-7dhAUv-8aRPwX-aESq3K-8aV7YA-SgYwYu-2gjYNxN-2ftK87T-4iqR3m-GMvRLB-2637cR7-rqt2W-BpAASR-2avxxbL-2gYC273-RKLSuC-2geYZFi[/embed] Gratitude........... (photo by smile7/flickr.com; used through a Creative Commons license) For me, it has been a challenging privilege to brush shoulders with this month’s theme of gratitude. Gratitude, to me, is simply appreciation, but...

Looking at my life, I cannot escape a basic fact: my individual existence is enmeshed in the life of the collective—not only my immediate family and friends, but in the larger institutions and systems that...

[caption id="attachment_7347" align="alignright" width="300"] Winter Solstice at Stonehenge (Photo by Mark Grant. Used through a Creative Commons license.)[/caption] The winter solstice approaches and soon the sun’s course will reach its lowest noon altitude and its...