Some describe paradise as being idyllic and someplace else – whether left behind in the myths of our origins or awaiting us in stories of an afterlife. Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s death bed words — “One world at a time!” — we will look for the glimpses of paradise to be found in the here and now, especially when we pause on the threshold of significant, even tumultuous change in our personal lives and in the larger world.

Rev. Karen Hering serves as consulting literary minister at Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul. Her book, Writing to Wake the Soul: Opening the Sacred Conversation Within, received the 2014 Silver Nautilus Award recognizing “literary contributions to spiritual growth, conscious living, … responsible leadership and positive social change.” She leads guided writing sessions and retreats and teaches at the Loft Literary Center and the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research.