Life – a cup at a time
Fear and the Hunger for Power Affect Us All Less than twenty-four hours ago as I write this, Russia attacked Ukraine under Putin’s orders. This should come as a surprise to no one. Putin felt threatened by (read: fearful of) Ukraine’s desire to align with Western Europe and away from his sphere of influence. Fear …
Labels Don’t Tell the Whole Story Labeling is a basic survival activity of our brain. We need labels such as danger, safe, sweet, bitter, and scary. Some of these we learn before we can formulate words for them. Consider the infant who bonds to their mother as a source of food and comfort but startles …
We have the responsibility to stop and consider what we say and write, especially on social media. Jonas Ellison, in his article The Pundit Impulse and the Power of Revision: Bringing humanity back to our published words (links below), talks about how social media has made us all pundits. The ease with which we can push …
Is it really the end of the world? What’s reality, what’s hyperbole, and what can we do about it? My parents and grandparents lived through much tougher times, to my thinking. My grandparents had tales of WWI and raising families in the Great Depression. My father served in the Navy near the end of WWII, …
A Lament One moment Breath, the next it’s gone; lungs full but not of air. Bereft of loved ones’ touch They die alone. And God cries. “Use the inside lot,” the suit says. “Guards will keep the riffraff out.” Money insulates the powered from the ones they pledged to …
What are the things that get to you? For me, it’s the little things. But it’s also little things that can get me back where I need to be. I’m one of those who, when faced with an emergency, tends to think calmly and logically, not reacting emotionally until everything is done and it’s “safe” …
Grace isn’t natural. We aren’t born with it, and it isn’t easy to understand. But it is necessary to grow and thrive. Laws we understand. Laws and rules make it possible for large numbers of people to live together and cooperate for the common good. Even at the family level, there are rules — spoken …
It’s difficult to live in Grace in a time of turmoil — for me, anyway. Thoughts and feelings get tumbled around as everyone and everything clamors for attention: COVID numbers, politicians, protests, counter-protests, job hunts, healthcare providers, bills, friends and family. I easily get tumbled around and lose my center, my grounding. How can I …
We need hugs, and as we break out of our cocoons of social distancing, we need them – and fear them – more than ever. I’m a tactile person by nature. From the time I was a toddler, I had my hands on – and in – everything! But I grew up in a family …
There once was a farmer with five sons. He had a large farm, with crops, cattle, pigs and horses. He and his sons had worked hard and improved the land, and they prospered. Next to them was another farmer, who had a wife and daughter. His wife was comely and his daughter beautiful. But while …