Twenty-four hours to Thanksgiving 2018. Being a Gentile, the similarities of Thanksgiving and the Jewish celebration of Passover had not occurred to me before today. As I researched the similarities I was reminded that there is very little in our experience that does not have a precedent. Linking the celebrations Of course Thanksgiving is …
We worry, oh yes we do! What will others think, what will others do, what will I do, what if this doesn’t work! One the things we as humans do best is to worry. Some people actually define their lives by how much worry they do. If they do not do enough, they feel they …
Every home has its sorrow. We might not be able to see it from our vantage point, things may look just fine. In fact, we may find ourselves a little envious of other people. The way they seem to have everything under control, but the things we don’t know about their lives! Envy not Because …
We spend huge amounts of energy trying to avoid showing or feeling emotions. In doing this we deprive ourselves of a huge amount of joy in our lives. Emotions are not bad Despite what we have been taught, experiencing an emotion is not a bad thing. Emotions are part of our being. They are there …
When it comes time for your memorial service, what will people say about you? Will their words be of someone who devoted their life to living and service? How would you like to be remembered? Admittedly, the topic of death and memorial services is not one most people want to spend much time looking …
How much happiness can I take? I suspect that this is not a question you have asked yourself lately. Well, the answer to the question “How much happiness can I take” is: as much as you will allow. A false sense of lack We often believe that if we ask for too much we will …
Most of us don’t believe we have any real influence in this world. Yes, we may see an impact on our children (for a while). Yes we may occasionally recognize a contribution we make at work, but that’s about it. This absence of impact on the world leads us to feeling rather ineffective in our …
One of the ways we control our youngsters is through shame. Of course we don’t consider it controlling, we sugar-coat it as “Teaching” but it is still shame. “Do you want people thinking you are a slob?” we might tell a young one. Innocent as this little phrase might at first sound, it will last …
Sooner or later, in all of our lives, comes the question; do I forgive this person or do I delete them from my life. Our emotional response is often; delete, delete, delete. Our spiritual response is; forgive. Let’s look at the delete option. When we choose to cut-ties with someone over what they have done …
The phrase going postal was coined at a dark time in US history when mass shootings seemed to be concentrated at Postal facilities. The phrase refers to a syndrome related to working constantly, doing the same thing, but never getting ahead. While I am not inclined to using a weapon of any kind, I …
