Quoteworthy
Everyday in my clinical practice, I witness great suffering. Empathy, standing in another's shoes, was crushing me emotionally. Compassion, on the other hand, gave me a path forward. I was no longer just bearing witness to suffering but carefully evaluating what I could do about it.
Michelle Hofmann

Most Recent
Yellow Daffodils & One Obituary Writer

Terry Tempest Williams is a Utah native, writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. She takes us into the current world of Boston Globe obituaries editor Bryan Marquard, and why shared grief can be endured grief.

The Heat Wave of Nostalgia

Terry Tempest Williams is a Utah native, writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. She reflects on venturing out after 52 days and how we’re coping with nostalgia and the present.

Life On Earth Comes From Water

Water is life—it connects us—bearing gifts of nourishment, community, healing and tranquility. Harvard Divinity School student Dan “Shutterbug” Wells shares photographs that capture the beauty of bodies of water that stretch from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans.

Of Course People are Baking Bread

It’s the mundane and the sublime, sustenance of all forms. Harvard Graduate School of Design student Emily Duma encourages us while confined to mix sorrow, knead beauty, bake in connection and slather the butter on thick.

Watching Clouds of Unknowing

Terry Tempest Williams is a Utah native, writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. As we emerge from lockdown, Terry reflects on the ephemeral nature of clouds, our invisible threat, and the power of our collective imagination.

Look for the Helpers

This time brings a sense of connection and deep gratitude from many for the work of frontline caregivers. Harvard Graduate School of Education student Julianna Sims writes a letter of thanks for health care helpers with an introduction from Chief Wellness Officer Robin Marcus.

Mixed Medicine II

Brooklyn musical artist, producer and Harvard Divinity School student Lindsay Sanwald (aka Idgy Dean) is back with two new songs and a music video made for the "Beauty in a Broken World" series while in quarantine.

Angels of Mercy

Terry Tempest Williams is a Utah native, writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. Here, she reflects on the courage of nurses both serving and stepping forward during the pandemic.

A Gift From the Far East

Learning from a fourth-century Chinese thinker today is an act of finding beauty in this broken world. Harvard Divinity School student Minahil Mehdi shares wisdom for the present from the distant past.

A Writer’s Garden

Terry Tempest Williams is a Utah native, writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. In this 20th Dispatch from the Desert, Terry bows to the life within her garden.

How Are We Doing?

Terry Tempest Williams is a Utah native, writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. Terry answers and asks “How are we doing?” She wonders “what are we learning?”

To the Healers, Providers, and Supporters

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health student Adam Meier dedicates a letter of gratitude to the healers, providers and supporters as part of the “Beauty in a Broken World” Coyote Chaplaincy.