Christmas Day 2019 One Husband, one Ex-Husband, Three Millennials with a Z-er, and a Whole Bunch of Grace. “But it’s really pretty great,” I say. Many wide-eyed, sometimes horrified people react in wonder and shock as I share the story of our Christmas Day. It’s not unusual any more for my husband and my ex-husband to be sharing a [non-alcoholic] toast…
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We aren’t ready for these phone calls, ever. She said, “I took the liberty of making you an appointment at one of the country’s top gynecological oncologists and he’s going to come in today to see you and you need to be there at 1:00. Here’s the address.” It was 12:25 and I was pulling into my client’s offices for…
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There isn’t a precise moment when you can see it happen. Only that he has grown. It’s not an abrupt shift, and could possibly only be observed through a time lapse filming, like the BBC’s Planet Earth footage of a flower blooming or a sunrise from space. It is as dramatic and beautiful as that, too. Truly the bloom, the…
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If we try to hide our children from controversial content, they may not learn to think for themselves about important issues they’ll face throughout their life. If we try to force our own views on them without demonstrating openness to always-new ways of seeing people, we might miss a chance to teach and learn the mightiest of skills ourselves. If…
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Time works hard. 15 years ago I heard the expression “all in God’s time,” and as a confirmed control freak, I was quite intrigued with this mystery. I was painstakingly seeking the truth of God, flip-flopping around the structures of religion and new age fads, so the notion of “God’s timing” as something beyond my control was new. I remember…
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Sometimes when we forge new paths, we find footprints we ourselves left decades earlier. Our family is moving back to Southern California from the serene and naturally beautiful Western edge of the mitten state. (Hold up your left hand.) I spent my childhood in Michigan, so I have a deep fondness for the lakes and the uniqueness of this state’s…
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Last week on NPR I heard a fascinating interview with a psychiatrist who uses avatar therapy to quiet the negative voices in people’s minds and free them from the burdens imposed by fear, doubt, anxiety, insecurity (etc.). I’ve since read that this sort of therapy is even used to treat clinical schizophrenia. Fascinating, isn’t it? Talk about theater of the…
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It all happens in a flash. Our youngest turns 8 and counts the minutes until his friends arrive for backyard maniac birthday party. My eldest turns 21 and heads to Prague with his collegiate basketball team to inspire high school students to strive for an uplifted life. Then, of course, he’s taking the dozens of dollars he’ll have left to…
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Here are a few interesting dots to connect. Yesterday CNN covered loads about their own media industry. Wait, is that a circular reference? No matter. They featured a shouting panel of experts arguing whether or not we should vilify the writers of Glee who predictably leveraged the public debate of guns in schools to desperately elevate their ratings. An equal…
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Today’s news connection: The Huffington Post reports on what men say about their ex-wives. This oughta be good. Click. The statements are contradictory and, on the surface a bit whiny. But when we consider the deeper meaning, (which might be risky) the potential truth huddled beneath the whining is quite important. The reality is magnified and their statements are true,…
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Wow I have been a really bad blogger lately. Maybe that means I ‘m not really a blogger at all, because one cannot truly be called a blogger if one does not do the blog-things consistent with those bloggers who define good blogging. So now I have also proved that using the word blog in as many forms as possible…
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I’ve spent my business life working to understand what makes people tick and finding creative ways to connect with them. Sometimes the study is about people with whom I have much in common, but mostly I’ve learned about people who think quite differently to me. I know this is part of what I’ve loved about my job because it’s also what…
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If any of us know anything about Jesus of Nazareth, we probably have heard that his reaction to needy people was immediate and scandalous generosity. Furthermore, Jesus was indisputably clear in how he felt about our modeling this teaching. But in our busy days, we often see strangers with “needy” signs on street corners at the entrance to Target and…
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I’m still piecing this story together, sparked by the industry discussion of a super bowl television commercial that ran in our nation’s largest cities. I haven’t delved much into the details behind the church of scientology except the tabloid kind of information that I always hope is invented by wildly imaginative people. Apparently, an Oscar winning author/screenwriter/ Hollywood/Scientologist named Lawrence…
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We’ve never doubted for a moment that our family was meant to make this move. Four years ago when we leaped out of our highly chaotic lives in Chicago to move to West Michigan to accept a wonderful position at a fine company, we knew in our hearts and minds it was excellent. It was time to change. In that…
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As I drifted off to sleep last night, my mind was spinning with the truth that we are charging ahead in a new year filled with new pathways and excitement …and we must choose. Every day, as always, we have to make choices about how to spend every minute when so many needs call for our attention. As we launch and…
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In this war Our enemy likes to keeps us off kilter. Spinning our heads. Tossing in grenades of worry. Obstacles meant to keep us from moving forward with purpose. Yet the greatest warrior king of all time beckons us to trust. Shedding fear and doubt. Shouting strength and giving glory to God. The one who is our armor For all…
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Be in the world Not of the world. But for heaven’s sake, be in the world. Let’s see. Politicians debate the role of their religion and their faith as it relates to their roles as governmental leaders. Bloggers pontificate (eloquently of course) about the hypocrisy of Christians celebrating Halloween and Santa. Most folks are okay with Thanksgiving being a kind-hearted…
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Does a week’s blogging absence demand an explanation? (I hope so;) I’ve been recovering. Early last week I stood before hundreds of women and told my scandalous story of ‘mad woman redeemed.’ A friend asked, “is this by choice?” My sister said, “No, technically it’s not normal for people to want to confess their ugly past.” I wouldn’t say it…
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Exactly as we need. When we need it. No more, no less. Not always what we want, but just what we need. Not always when we can see or understand it. But the longer we live in this light, the more we can see it more clearly. Or at least know it’s there somewhere! Seeing the miracle in the fleeting…
