Category Archives: Community

My Amtrak Odyssey – Epilogue

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Mary Jo Doig

My phone rings out this morning and a man says in a raspy, “Hello?” “Is this Pete?” I ask. “Yes, this is Pete,” he replies. “Hi, Pete. This is Mary Jo Doig. I’ve called three times during the past ten … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Grace, Gratitude, Kindness, Mother Nature | 7 Comments

A Mindful Meditation of our Women’s Life-Writing Circle

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Mary Jo Doig

We gather in our quiet, secluded space at the recently constructed, variegated-beige stone Crozet Library, bringing the life-story we have written in preparation at home. We greet each other warmly as each woman arrives, and ask how things have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Grace, Gratitude, Mystery, Womens' Writing Circles | 4 Comments

About Tribes

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Mary Jo Doig

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging Humans don’t mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary. Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary. It’s time for that to end. … Continue reading →

Posted in A Wonderful Book, Book Reviews, Community, Compassion, Courage, Family, Friendship, Grace, Mystery | 2 Comments

Little Punkins

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Mary Jo Doig

Although I’ve been making quilt squares in my spare time during the past year, on the winter evenings when dark arrives early, my perennial urge to knit returns once again. This inner prompting reminds me of the Catskill Mountain days in late winter … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Gifts, Grace, Gratitude, Living Mindfully, Peacefulness, Poverty, Simplicity | 3 Comments

A Sweet Bovina Story – Maple Syrup

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Mary Jo Doig

A long-time friend from Bovina, NY recently brought me a treasure of a gift: pure locally made maple syrup. As I gathered my maple syrup thoughts this morning, I realized how little I know about its origins, so engaged on … Continue reading →

Posted in Bovina Stories, Community, Friendship, Gifts, Grace, Gratitude, Mother Nature, Mystery, Peacefulness, Simplicity | 2 Comments

Ordinary Grace

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Mary Jo Doig

This afternoon I read Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger, a book that took me to a small town, New Bremen, Minnesota in 1961, where complex tragedy strikes a small family and ripples through the community in astonishing ways. Krueger … Continue reading →

Posted in A Wonderful Book, Book Reviews, Childhood, Community, Compassion, Courage, Family, Grace, Kindness, Mystery, Peacefulness | 3 Comments

Homelessness: One Man’s Story

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Mary Jo Doig

In recent months, I’ve been deeply moved by a Story Circle Network blogging friend’s writing as she courageously brings forward her son’s long-term homelessness in California’s Bay Area. Margie Witt has written several compelling articles about her son’s journey from … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Compassion, Courage, Family, Mental Illness, Poverty | 1 Comment

The Circles of Mary Sullivan, r.c.

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Mary Jo Doig

I’ve been knitting another child’s hat for the Carol’s Coats project for next Christmas. As I dug around in my metal tin of knitting supplies—needles, markers, crochet hooks, small scissors, cable stitch holders, a tangerine-sized magnifier, pom-pom makers—looking for something, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Community, Compassion, Friendship, Gifts, Gratitude, Knitting, Mystery, Peacefulness, Simplicity | 4 Comments

Gladys’ Quilt

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Mary Jo Doig

Today I’m wondering how old a quilt has to be before it is considered an heirloom, so checked my college Webster New World dictionary, which says: 1. A piece of personal property that goes to an heir along with an … Continue reading →

Posted in Bovina Stories, Community, Family, Friendship, Gifts, Mystery, Quilts, Simplicity | 7 Comments

The Meaning of Community – A Bovina Story

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Mary Jo Doig

Bovina Center, NY was, and remains to this day, a tiny rural town in the Catskill Mountains, a “dry” town where you could not purchase alcohol beverages, a place where quilting never died, and where the singular church, a Presbyterian … Continue reading →