Rev. Danny Fisher

Time.com has just release their first annual blog index, naming twenty-five of the best blogs “about something.” I was very happy to see that Velveteen Rabbi, written by our friend in the religion blogosphere Rachel Barenblat, was among the twenty-five. Rachel has left kind comments here in the past, and I mentioned in a previous post that her blog is one of my very favorites. I also devoted a whole post last year to reflecting on Rachel’s chapbook chaplainbook, a collection of poems about her experiences during a nine-month extended unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (C.P.E.). I was incredibly moved by her poems, and (this is not said lightly) chaplainbook remains one of my most beloved collections of verse. (It is among the small collection of books that travels with me pretty much wherever I go.) If you’re not familiar with Rachel’s work, do yourself a favor and get acquainted with it.

And many congratulations, Rachel! The honor is well-deserved.

Our good friend Erick filled my inbox with excellent items while I was away. They are listed and described below.

One story in particular, though, deserves special mention–it has do with our friends Sisters Molini and Dhamma Vijaya of the Dhamma Moli Project. (The sisters are pictured above and to the right with Sasha and Cat, two American students. I took this photograph and posted it before, in 2006, while I serving on the faculty of Antioch Education Abroad’s Buddhist Studies in India program.) The piece is about the sisters’ visit to the Yellow Springs Dharma Center to raise awareness about at-risk Nepali girls. Do give it a read.

Here are the other articles Erick sent us: