Karen Skalitzky, Interview #152

Name: Karen Skalitzky
 
Where you live: Chicago, IL
 
What you do as a vocation or avocation?

I am a writer, speaker, and spiritual director. My book, A Recipe for Hope: Stories of Transformation by People Struggling with Homelessness, was inspired by the men and women I met volunteering at Inspiration Café. www.arecipeforhope.com

I also have my own business as an educational consultant and am in the process of becoming an adoptive mom.
 
Your two favorite books:

Ah, there are so many! Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, recently captured my heart, and An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith, by Barbara Brown Taylor, is one I return to again and again.  
 
Your two favorite songs:

Bring on the Wonder – Sara McLachlan

Amazing Grace – as performed by Liz Wright

Why you are interested in spirituality?

To me, the spiritual path is a way of bringing us home to ourselves, to the wisdom that is already in us, to the wholeness that God is calling forth from us. Being on that journey and companioning others is an amazing gift.  
 
Your favorite quote:

This is from Isabelle Allende, best known for her book The House of Spirits. She was asked in an interview about the death of her daughter.

“Many years have gone by, but the feeling of loss is still there and there’s some sadness. I don’t want to get rid of that sadness; it’s part of who I am today. I feel like it’s a fertile soil at the bottom of my heart where everything wonderful grows – creativity, compassion, love, and even joy.”

Your favorite web sites:

I’m always inspired by simple ideas that generate immense goodness in the world. Here are two: www.storycorp.org and www.donorschoose.org.
 
Your hero?

Rachel Naomi Remen, author of Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal, for reminding us of the healing power of our own stories. Remen is a physician who sits with people during times of great medical crisis.
 
A spiritual lesson you hope to learn?

Letting go into, as my friend likes to say, and trusting.
 
A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?"

This place changes for me. As of late, I feel most spiritually connected in the quiet of the early morning when I’m working in the flower garden I planted. The city is still asleep, and I get to witness the beauty of creation all around me.
 

Karen's book: A Recipe for Hope: Stories of Transformation by People Struggling with Homelessness