Life – a cup at a time
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 …
It’s Time to Refine Our Understanding of Stewardship Stewardship is one of those words that can mean so many things to different people. On the secular level, stewardship has come to mean “an ethic that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources,” according to Wikipedia. In many religious circles, stewardship is all about tithes, …
People are asking about your COVID vaccination, but is it appropriate? A friend found herself in a Zoom discussion the other day that she found uncomfortable. A service group, some were chatting while waiting for the rest to sign in, when person A asked person B, “So, have you gotten your COVID shot yet?” It …
Priorities are something we have to work at; you can’t just assume you have them in place. But often we ignore priorities as if the word itself is somehow dirty. I was brought up short this last week by an incident that reminded me of this reality. My husband decided that he wanted to buy …
One of the dubious joys of an older house is encountering the critters that seek to make it their home as well. All plans for today were put on hold when I discovered a turd on the kitchen floor. Too big for a mouse, I swallowed and started looking for other signs. I Immediately came …
This year the holidays promise to be particularly tough for a lot of people. But they are survivable. In addition to political upheaval, fires, and storms, 2020 brought us a pandemic, and we’re already seeing cases surge from Thanksgiving. The same supportive gatherings with friends and family that help stave off the blues this time …
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 …
Even you can survive the holidays if you manage your expectations and exercise a little creativity, whether you have a crazy family, a mental illness, or are just “normally” stressed. Our lives are not Hallmark movies and we don’t have perfect families. My neighbors, for example, lost their matriarch last May, making this Thanksgiving awkward …
Thanksgiving is one of those events than can be an emotional roller coaster. As a result, people seem to either love it or hate it. As a child, I loved Thanksgiving. Extended family would gather at our house, both leaves were added to the table, and the fancy linen tablecloth was brought out. Even when …
We’re told as children to do the right thing, to fight for what is right and good. We get lulled into thinking that if you’re right, everything is going to be OK. But life doesn’t always work that way. Being right can cost us. Even righteous anger still has consequences. Let me illustrate. I recently …