Tapestrywith Mary Hynes

It’s been an unusual NBA season, not just because of the coronavirus, but because of the pushes players have made towards acknowledging racism and criminal justice issues on the court.

Over the years, thousands of refugees persecuted in their home country because of their sexual identity have found a sponsor — and acceptance — with the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto.

Toronto Raptor personality Akil Augustine weighs in on players’ unprecedented social justice action in the NBA. And a couple in Singapore created WindowSwap, a website that allows users to open a virtual window into the homes and lives of other people around the world.

Shermeen Khan says many pandemic safety precautions - like arrows marked on the floor - have impeded her ability to navigate the world independently. But over a lifetime being blind, she has developed skills that give her an advantage during COVID-19.

Jason Shron has been obsessed with Via Rail trains since he was five years old. He has long found building model railroads to be a more spiritual practice than mere hobby. These days, he says it offers even more: a perfect antidote to COVID-19 angst.

The documentary “No Going Back” tells the story of three LGBT refugees who fled persecution in their home countries and found support and acceptance at the Metropolitan Community Church in downtown Toronto. And lawyer Shermeen Khan describes how her experience of the pandemic has been helped and hindered by her blindness.

In Boston, Father Brian Bachand worked alongside the new Archbishop, supporting victims of the sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church. Bachand was passionate about the work but he began to have thoughts about a life beyond the priesthood, one where he could live freely as a gay man.

The Honduran-Canadian singer-songwriter grew up steeped in opposing visions of what it meant to be Latina and none of them felt right. After challenging herself during flamenco lessons and an unforgettable trip to Mexico, Daniela Andrade arrived at her own definition of womanhood.

Jason Shron won’t finish building the model railroad in his basement - a scaled down replica of the Toronto-Montreal route circa 1980 - until he is 95 years old. But that’s OK: for him, model railroading is a kind of spiritual practice. Brian Bachand was passionate about his work as a Catholic priest in Boston, but he made the decision to leave. Lena Felton shares expert advice on when and how to quit a book, a relationship, or a dream.

As a feminist theologian and the daughter of a pastor, Rachel Meyer has thought a lot about matters of the spirit, but when it came time to pass on her knowledge to her son - she was at a loss at how to teach him about religion without inflicting spiritual trauma.

Rachel Meyer is a theologian and the mother of a six-year-old boy. She speaks to Mary Hynes about how she’s trying to pass on the best of her Lutheran upbringing, yoga and Buddhist philosophy, and an ecofeminist appreciation for nature to her son, while ditching the more toxic elements. Musician Daniela Andrade on navigating the conflicting taboos and expectations about being Latina and arriving at her own strong sense of womanhood.

Dr. Manuel Matas has spent four decades working as a clinical psychiatrist. He’s had several mystical experiences during his life, and he believes we need to remove the stigma from what he says is a relatively common phenomenon.

When David Yaden was a university student, he had a mystical experience he says he’ll never forget. Today, Yaden’s work as a researcher focuses on documenting and understanding spiritual experiences just like his.

Veteran psychiatrist Manuel Matas on his mission to destigmatize paranormal experiences. A profound mystical experience leads scientist David Yaden to devote his life to researching spiritual experiences. Journalist Jordan Kisner tries to find out why, despite any conclusive explanation, Reiki works.

Despite being a certified Reiki teacher, journalist Jordan Kisner still struggles to explain how and why this Japanese method of energetic healing actually works. But if the patient feels better, isn’t that what counts?

Michael Schur, creator of NBC comedy The Good Place, gambled that viewers were hungry for discussions about ethics and philosophy, even if they didn't know it at the time. His gamble paid off, making The Good Place a hit show.

If you were to play ‘where are they now’ about pop stars from the 1980s - you’d couldn’t do much better than Richard Coles. Back then, he was a member of the British pop duo The Communards, with a #1 hit single. Today he’s a parish priest in England.

Robert Thurman was the first Westerner to be ordained by the Dalai Lama. He no longer wears the robes but he has been a guide to Tibetan Buddhism for many people and has some fascinating views on how to live a spiritual life in this very hectic world.

“I never expected a guy fresh out of prison to be rubbing a kitten’s belly.” One day, a scraggly cat showed up outside the door at the Native Men's residence, a shelter in Toronto. Some of the men at Na-Me-Res decided to look after the kitten. They called her Smudgey. This is their story.

The Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, and now, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. The Templeton Prize is given annually to someone who has made a profound spiritual contribution to the world. Rabbi Sacks received the honour this year for working to end religious violence and affirming the spiritual dimension of life.

Salman Ahmad is a Pakistani-American musician best known for his Sufi rock. He describes his sound as "Led Zeppelin meets Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan."

According to Patricia Pearson, about fifty percent of the bereaved sense the presence of the dead. Her book is called, Opening Heaven's Door: What The Dying May Be Trying to Tell Us About Where They're Going.