All my relations: what does that mean and why is it important?
When I first came across the phrase All My Relations in an essay by Richard Wagamese, it warmed my heart, in part because I remember reading about Rabbit, who loved all his friends and relations in the wonderful children’s stories about Winnie the Pooh :-). There is much richness as we deepen into the words...
Learning to Pause
”Learning to pause”, I say, because pausing absolutely does not come naturally to me. I was abashed to discover years ago, early in my journey of self awareness and discovery, that in my family it wasn’t OK to rest…not acceptable to take a pause. As long as there was somebody doing something — the dishes, tidying, any...
Happiness Is An Inside Job
Happiness is an inside job. Really? Here’s my backstory. When my grandkids turned six, I gave each of them what we called at “Tree Book” — a little book actually made of wood, which seemed appropriate because the idea was to have a place to record sayings and experiences that would help us grow, like...
Bad Othering is Harming Us All
Bad othering is harming us all: we can change this. Whether you celebrate Advent and Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, or perhaps simply December, with its growing depth and darkness, its opportunities for quiet reflection, and the promise of light returning, the way we relate to ourselves and to the “others” in our lives will affect all of us deeply....
News Headlines Give Me a Headache!
I’m doing pretty well in my personal life — generally a reasonably healthy and rich balance, joy, connections, commitment. Many inner and outer resources are available to deal with challenges. But oh my goodness, news headlines give me a headache… and a heartache…and a bellyache! I hardly even read the news these days, but enough...