The Emergent Self

Questioning what we're told it means to be human

Topic

Loss & Grief

Grief changes us. It need not end us. Reflections on loss, endurance, and what sorrow teaches.

Watercolor of a front door standing open onto a stone step, where a covered dish has been left, suggesting I'll pray for you as a doorway to showing up

Is “I’ll Pray for You” Ever Enough?

Is "I'll pray for you" ever enough? A former priest weighs the honest case for prayer and asks readers when those words open a door.
Watercolor of an older hand resting gently on another person's open hand across a wooden table, symbolizing human presence beyond thoughts and prayers

Beyond “Thoughts and Prayers”: A Former Priest on Where Healing Really Happens

A former priest on why "thoughts and prayers" fall short, and how presence, practical help, and human connection carry the healing that prayer once promised.