Mary G. Jackson, Author

My Blog & Writings

Divine Encounters
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

Divine Encounters

It has been a mostly quiet time for writing over the last two years. I don’t know if it’s me or the topic, but most people don’t ask me about it. “How is the book coming?” “What is it like to be writing a book about a person’s spiritual path?” “How are you?” “How has this process affected you?” Nope, I don’t hear those questions. So I just keep going quietly and yet, with the book actually being so close to being an actual book, I’m anticipating some kind of change to that quietness.

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Planting a Seed in God’s Time Can Take a Long Time!
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

Planting a Seed in God’s Time Can Take a Long Time!

Over 20 years ago my good buddy from Pastoral Counseling school, my girls, then 8 and 10, and I took a trip to St. Martin Island. It was a blast. We went snorkeling, parasailing (I watched that one!) and just played at the beach and in the lovely water. It was on one of our excursions I saw a plant I admired.

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How Can The Divine Seed A Place For Change To Grow?
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

How Can The Divine Seed A Place For Change To Grow?

I was happily in NYC this past weekend, visiting a cherished friend and having a wonderful time with her, her husband and her daughter, going to really fun places, seeing art, going to museums, and having yummy meals out. It was great. However, the outstanding take-away was somber.

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If God is Perfect Then Why am I a Mess?
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

If God is Perfect Then Why am I a Mess?

I am sick, literally. I have a post-Covid cold with drippy nose and a cough starting and what am I to do when I am moving forward on so many fronts right now that my head and life are spinning?

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Turning to the Divine in Times of Emptiness
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

Turning to the Divine in Times of Emptiness

Sometimes I can get away with acting like I know what I’m doing when actually I don’t have a clue. My adult daughter asks me for advice, especially parenting advice, when she is struggling to know what to do as a loving mother to her 11 year old son.

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How are We an Instrument of the Divine in Loss and Grief?
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

How are We an Instrument of the Divine in Loss and Grief?

I drove back to Westminster with relative ease, though the packing up for the season is always a heavier duty than I anticipated. Wouldn't you know it would turn hot just as I was leaving the edge of the water and the breeze that cools with comfort. Coming back reminds me of parts of my life that I let slip for the weeks I was in Lewes.

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“Way Opened” My Journey to PRESENCE: The Book
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

“Way Opened” My Journey to PRESENCE: The Book

This time next month the book, PRESENCE, will be ready to go to the printer. Between now and then there is much to do.

I am so amazed at the process that has taken place in the life of PRESENCE to get to this phase.

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The 23rd Psalm - Goodness, mercy, together with the Divine
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

The 23rd Psalm - Goodness, mercy, together with the Divine

This is the last week I will be in the beautiful Lewes, Delaware, watching the stunning sunsets in the evening, walking on the beach, feeling it getting warmer, and the days getting longer. I give up my little condo for the summer to return to my home in Westminster, MD.

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The 23rd Psalm Speaks of Enemies, Oil, and Over filled Cups
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

The 23rd Psalm Speaks of Enemies, Oil, and Over filled Cups

Before I start this week's Blog, I want to thank so many of you for giving me feedback on the book cover design you like best. It has come down to a very close tie between the boat/sunset picture and the open orange sunset reflected in the water. Won't it be fun to see which one it is!?

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23rd Psalm: I Shall Not Want
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

23rd Psalm: I Shall Not Want

This line is declaring the first thing we receive from our divine shepherd – we are given everything we could ever desire or need, there is no lack of anything.

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The Lord is my Shepherd
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

The Lord is my Shepherd

One of my favorite prayers is the 23rd Psalm. It speaks to me in times of need and in times of rejoicing. I would like to explore it with you, phrase by phrase in the coming weeks, to discover for myself, and perhaps help you discover a deeper connection to it. We begin, of course, at the beginning.

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Slowing Down from Being Exhausted
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

Slowing Down from Being Exhausted

Sometimes life isn't a great burst of multicolored energy, direction, or sense of accomplishment. Sometimes, like this past month, it is just a few notches up from being stuck in the quicksand of exhaustion. That is where I am right now.

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The Gift of Wisdom
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

The Gift of Wisdom

You can be smart as a whip, sly as a fox, dull as a rock, have common sense or be foolish. Somehow you can make it through life with any combination of these attributes.

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Full Of Wonder Is Wonderful
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

Full Of Wonder Is Wonderful

Don’t you love a good mystery? I think the suspense is so exciting – I love the feeling of trying to unearth the subtle clues, of testing out one possibility and then another, of having the sense of an adventure in a mental maze of my own creation based on the intrigue of the story. That’s what it is like to be aware of my spiritual journey.

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Healing
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

Healing

As a counselor, I am aware of life stories that include incredible pain. The pain may come as a flash in a tragic instant, or from the agonizing ache of the never known. Most of us have experienced our own personal suffering and heartache.

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What is the Opposite of Faith?
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

What is the Opposite of Faith?

We can probably agree that having faith is a good thing. It's something we admire in other people and something we try to nurture in ourselves. So, what gets in the way of faith? What might it be that causes real faith to fade, to be challenged, or to perish? Read More

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Does the Divine Hunger for Our Love?
Mary Jackson Mary Jackson

Does the Divine Hunger for Our Love?

I often wonder about the nature of the Divine. Of all the symbolic meaning I can attribute to God, the one that feels most on point for me is that of parent. That symbolic connection opens up so many thoughts and questions that resonate with the God of my understanding. Read More

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