I am thinking today about school and teachers. It is that time of year again. In truth, we are all teachers of our children. We parents and grand parents are all teachers in the purest sense of the calling. In that sense I am also remembering two important things. We sometimes get worried sick about …
Summertime can be the season for “boo-boos.” At some point during the summer you can be pretty sure that many children (and adults) have sported a wound. Parents have likely scouted for ice cubes, cool cloths, fancy band aids, first aid cream, itch medicine etc. to apply to scraped knees, split open chins, bee stings …
I cannot believe how much my inner world fluctuates lately between being soulful and silly. I have been doing lots of reading, research, and note taking in areas that I believe will be helpful for people who are either re-parenting themselves (isn’t that most of us???) and/or parenting children. On the soulful side, I …
This summer I have been thinking a lot about roots and wings. As you already know, I have been fascinated by hummingbird wings. It has reawakened memories. When I was a child struggling with low self-esteem, I daydreamed about what it would be like to have wings like birds and butterflies. Interestingly, my …
Where did the summer go? It seems lately that the hummingbirds and goldfinches are eating feverishly at their respective feeders. Perhaps they are soaking up the last days of summer and are instinctively preparing for flight. Watching the birds this summer has been particularly cathartic for us as Tom completed his radiation treatments and regained …
He is six years old and proudly tells you so. As with all children, I learn so much about life and about myself from him. This time a couple of lessons came from watching him play a game of balance. A Wii game for him, a metaphor for me. It happened a couple of weeks …
On Father’s Day our children hosted a cookout for their beloved “pops” and “bumpa” (grandpa). The day was perfect. The sun was shining and like Goldilocks would say, “it was neither too hot nor too cold. It was just right.” The smell of hots and hamburgers cooking on the grill seemed to call us …
I hate to admit it, but I am intimately acquainted with shame and guilt. I am on a quest to be free and to inspire freedom in others from life-stripping shame and needless guilt. I also want to encourage parents and teachers to avoid shame-based ways of shaping children’s behavior. What is an example of …
The primary school cafeteria was transformed into an auditorium. Chairs faced the make-shift stage. We grandparents arrived early to get good seats for this great photo opportunity. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation. The performers had prepared a kindergarten play under the creative guidance of their obviously well-loved teacher, Mrs. Rose. As we all filed …
Nature reminds us of the miracle of life and love. People also can remind us of the miracle of life and love. Life in all its richness and love in all its reach, do go together, don’t they? Recently I was blessed by attending a service in memory of of Ann’s mom, …