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Grief at the Crossroads
Smoke hangs heavy in the Spokane air. I try to block out the images the ash or smoke represent.
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Hope or Optimism
Brene Brown shared a story of a POW survivor who said the first to die were the optimists. These were the “pie on the sky” people who believed freedom would happen by Christmas.
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Solved by Walking
I found my dad’s journal where he is wrestling with what procedures to choose for cancer.
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Singing Through the Sorrow
When I was young, my dad loved a song which began, “How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me, things so undeserved yet you proved to show your love for me.
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During the Watches of the Night
I am reading a memoir of a Russian interpreter who helped with the identification of the body of Hitler.
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Navigating Losses
One of my mentors, Henri Nouwen writes about life as you age toward death, “Your whole life is filled with losses, endless losses. And every time there are losses, there are choices to be made.
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The Greater Miracle
The word “passion” means to suffer with someone for the sake of love. Christ hanging on the cross out of love for humanity inspired the creation of this important word.
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When Life Hurts
Have you been turned upside down? Or, perhaps, it really is right side up! In essence, that is what suffering does to us.
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I Will Be Happy If
There is a question I have been pondering during Holy Week. “I will be happy if ____________.” Early in my dad’s cancer journey, he would have placed his happiness dependent upon his cure.
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When despair comes
Dad loved the Ignatian spiritual exercises. He used them diligently to listen and discern God’s will in decision making. When in despair, Ignatian cautions not to change course or make decisions when experiencing hardship and difficulty.
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Nanosecond Phenomena
Between the stimulus and the response is a NANOSECOND . This nanosecond is the time we decide our response .
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Love recognizes love
Monet is called the father of Impressionism. The term was coined from the name of his painting “Impression, sunrise”.
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Your Beliefs Dictate Your Behavior
Behavior is the result of a person’s beliefs. In my early years coaching basketball and counseling families, it became clear to me the most important key to effective education is knowing this principle: If you wish to change…
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Impact and Intent
There can be a uniformity between impact and intent. However, not until we know and understand how to create this congruency is it possible to master the vital skill of creating healthy relationships.
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Know the Spirit of Truth
Have you heard these quotes about Truth? Have you heard these quotes about Truth? “Truth is beauty; beauty is Truth.” John Keats “In a time of universal deceit, telling the Truth is a revolutionary act.” “A lie can…
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Reward
I have been thinking about rewards, specifically how are they different from awards and how they are viewed in scripture. Perhaps they are on my mind as I clean out the awards for my mom and dad.
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Love Abundant
God is always surprising us. He is full of compassion and deepest love. How easy it is to ascribe harshness to God. Why is this?
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Reckoning
Hope seems in short measure when we see the violence happening in America. People with masks shooting civilians and dragging children away from parents. Never in my lifetime would I believe this could happen.
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Seek Truth
As I witness men tearing down signs that tell the truth of slavery in our nation, I consider the cost this is to their lives, to their children’s lives, to their souls.
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Haste
My mom and I like speed. I like haste. I like to hurry through a store, rush through conversations, interrupt, or move on.
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Good News
In my devotional, I was feeling sad when I opened an advent book by one of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen.
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A New Father
One of the greatest losses a child can experience is father loss. Father loss comes in many forms. A three-year-old boy’s father dies in a plane crash.
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True Desire
What is your true desire? Can you peel back the reasons for the way you want to live?
