"I come from a long line of spiritual pragmatists..."

"I come from a long line of spiritual pragmatists. My elders were not pessimistic, but practical. They believed in the future, but recognized that you had to work to get there. Nothing comes easy. My great grandmother’s message was simple: you get about as much out of something as you are willing to put into it. So if you want a balanced and centered life you needed to spend each day making it that way. It was a plain spiritual work ethic. I’ve added a few more hearts and flowers since then, but I will always be grateful for their common sense faith: meet the Spirit halfway in all that you do."---The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, Native American/Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church