I’m trying to muddle through. But there are days when the pieces look like they won’t ever go together. Honestly, some days the pieces don’t even look like they belong together. I have learned the hard way I am an overachiever, excessively compelled to volunteer. When someone I know says, “Can you help me __________?”…
As the on-call chaplain, I had answered a page to the neurological ICU to be with family as doctors reported unequivocal results of testing. The patient was brain dead and not going to survive the stroke that caused her hospitalization. Her distraught daughter cried, “It’s too soon!” The patient was 85 years old. Is there…
I can’t even count the number of times I have said, “Just a minute, I’ll be right there,” to my kids. Embroiled in the minutia required to keep a family fed, clothed and running, I often missed some of the fun, or at least, joined it already in progress. Eventually, it became a habit —…
faith / Relationships / Spirit
When I told my book group that I had finished and uploaded my thesis, one of the members asked about my topic. After sharing that I had researched and written about end-of-life, Joanne asked if I was including near-death experiences (NDE). NDEs are mentioned by some people who have survived traumas, where in the midst of…
But not when you want it to. Only when you are stuck at the DMV. Yup! I had to renew my driver’s license. But I could not just do it online. I had to come in for the new “Real ID”. There was a new feature — I was able to make an appointment, so…
“I am determined to have a different ending to my story” Written by Bonnie Black and found by police during her murder investigation My neighbor, Bonnie, was stabbed in April 2015. Her husband was convicted of his estranged wife’s murder and sentenced to two life terms. The judicial system is clear–take a person’s life and…
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” ERA amendment text Just one more state is needed to reach the magic number (3/4 of states) in order for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to become an amendment. Currently, thirty…
Namasté. My spirituality group has been meeting since 2010. While only two of us remain from the original configuration, our membership is stable with group size capped at twelve to foster a level of intimacy, trust, and sharing. The same women have reaffirmed their commitment over the last few years. For our group, we chose…
The #MeToo movement has successfully gotten the winter song Baby It’s Cold Outside banned from play on many radio stations around the country. How ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ Went From Parlor Act to Problematic. I am agast. Not that I don’t applaud the group for using this song as a discussion starter to show the messages…
Namaste spirituality group wanted a daylong retreat between Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent. I volunteered to help with organizing it. While there several choices for retreat centers within a relatively short drive, my collaborator found space for our group at the Benedictine Pastoral Center in Bristow, VA. It offered a reasonable cost per attendee…
In June the American Library Association (ALA) renamed the Laura Ingalls Wilder Children’s Book Series Award. This honor was taken away from Mrs. Wilder because her memoirs honestly and accurately depict the fear and distrust between the Western Pioneers and the Indigenous People — from the settler’s point of view. I don’t want this issue…
We celebrate Thanksgiving once a year, but we can be grateful every day. Even when things go wrong, possibly in a big way, there are things for which to give thanks. Gratitude can be a practice that we repeat regularly, rather than just a holiday or event. Nightly prayers for our grandkids end with them…
