The rather unscientific word, “dirt,” is not very appealing to us but in my partnership with Solomon (TSJ’s sheep that represents our inner voice of nitty gritty wisdom), dirt has a down to earth and unadorned appeal that accurately represents practical spirituality. This is the kind of spirituality that has never been sanitized.
Just the word “pain” almost hurts, doesn’t it? And to think of it as a “gift” just does not sit well with us. The challenge is to remember that pain (or distress) of any type is a “wake up call.” Even when we don’t want to wake up. Who loves an alarm clock amongst us? …
I have a notion to . . . Are things piling up in your life and you hardly know where to start? Are you procrastinating due to overwhelm? Do you need a jump start? Do some of you remember the days when it was not uncommon to see people using jumper cables to …
WHY SMILE? Have you ever really and truly thought about the power of a smile? It is a gift we give the world. And like an echo, what we give out most often comes back to us. When we see a small baby or little child, no matter our age or gender we enjoy trying …
I have been thinking of how we human/”sheep” are both complex and confusing, and predictable and programmed. We do not like to think of ourselves as either predictable or programmed. In fact, many people do not really like to think of ourselves as being like “sheep.” In our culture, we tend to struggle with …
It is that time of year when school kids and their teachers look forward to at least a long Easter weekend. Some have several days off. In the joy of anticipation, it seems a little difficult to write about anything real serious. Yet, it is the time of year for many of us to celebrate …
One Small Note . . . Beyond Perfect In our culture, we are so programmed to look for and expect perfection. Before we buy something we make sure it has not even a tiny scratch, and if it does have a flaw, we expect to pay far less for it. Imperfection, after all, decreases its …
No matter who we are as parents, teachers, care-givers, or, as I often say, shepherds of our children and youth . . . there are “those” moments when we “lose it.” When this happens it is usually the fear factor that sneaks up on us like a fox. Our primitive brain is programmed for survival and …
This morning’s blog idea comes out of my kitchen cupboard. . . I have many mugs, in fact more than I would care to count. But I have a personal favorite that “says it all.” It is a small white porcelain mug that is so well used that its glaze is slightly cracked on …
Wednesday’s Wisdom What do rice, money, and honey have in common? I wanted to share some wisdom for a midweek pick-me-upper. And as I thought about it, my mind took interesting twists and turns, much like following a trail in the woods, knowing it was all enriching but not sure where it would lead to. …