Through my work as a ritualist and metadenominational minister, I’ve come to believe that when we pause to mark with ceremony the milestone moments of our existence, we allow life to touch us with a richness and sweetness we don’t ordinarily experience. The ritual of a wedding or commitment ceremony connects the dots of two individuals to one another, to family and community. A baby welcoming ceremony weaves that child into the tapestry of generations and offers a gift to the world of new life and new potential. The ceremony that closes one person’s story on earth, a funeral or celebration of life, draws us together in sorrow to find a measure of peace, healing and sometimes even joy in the midst of loss. Whether a ceremony focuses on these pivotal experiences in a human life or on “snapshot” moments such as a birthday, a graduation or the move to a new home, mindful ritual celebrates our complexity, our place in the universe and our reach for wholeness. My calling is to bring this deep and rich facet of human experience into as many lives as I can possibly touch.

I have been creating and facilitating personalized ceremonies for almost twenty years. It is an intimate process that requires me to be a friend, advisor and deep listener to my clients and also demands that I take on the roles of skillful interviewer, teacher, creative writer, organizer and public speaker.

All my formal and informal education has led me to this life work: a ten-year career in information technology, where I honed my people and organizational skills through project leadership. Many years of stage performance, and graduation from the professional actor training program at Portland [Oregon] Actors Conservatory. A lifetime love of writing. A masters degree in Creation Spirituality from Naropa University, grounded in the study of a wide range of sacred traditions. And I cannot leave out the incalculably precious lessons I have learned about life and love from my long, joyous relationship with my husband, Gary.

I love the work I do, I love my home in the Pacific Northwest and I love making a difference for my clients.

I honor and respect all wisdom traditions and worldviews that have love and compassion at their core. I consider it one of my duties as a minister to build bridges among all belief systems – religious, spiritual and secular – focusing on their commonalities rather than their differences. My spiritual and professional obligation is to serve you with integrity by helping you celebrate your beliefs and values, not by promoting mine. I try to do my work as I try to live my life – with an open heart, an active mind, a keen intuition, an ethic of service, and an ever-expanding capacity for joy.

Each ceremony I create is unique, an expression of the relationship I build with my clients and our mutual dedication to make something beautiful and memorable. Though I have a great deal of collected material, written by me or borrowed from others, everything I select for the ceremony is shaped by my conversations with you, tailored to your wishes and circumstances, and subject to your final approval. Stories told by family elders, ritual honoring your cultural or ethnic origins, laughter from the heart, flute music flowing down a mountainside, poetry read alongside a quiet river, flowers scattered on a pond, or a song sung by all the guests – the potential for a ceremony is boundless, but the elements are chosen by you, with my assistance and consultation as needed.

When the day of the ceremony arrives, you can rest assured that I will deliver your ceremony with the same quality, care and professionalism I bring to crafting it.

Since each ceremony is unique, fees will vary, and even the structure of the fees depending upon the type of ceremony. Services are tailored to your needs, but always include a custom written ceremony, consultation in ceremony planning and design, and unlimited phone and email access before the ceremony. Please check the individual ceremony pages for more details.

For availability and a fee estimate, or to ask any other questions you may have, please email me, call me at 503.245.2977 or complete this simple form. I’ll respond promptly. I treasure the opportunity to serve you and I look forward to talking with you.