Prayer Blog

Forbidden Fruit Makes Good Pie

Forbidden Fruit Makes Good Pie I turned 40 earlier this month, and have been celebrating every weekend... and some weeknights, too! Last weekend, a group of girlfriends whisked me away to Lisle, Illinois for a hiking day at Morton Arboretum. Morton Salt magnate, Joy Morton, founded the 1,700-acre Arboretum in 1922. It's dedicated to the planting and conservation of trees,...

How Silently

How Silently, How Silently "What's your favorite Christmas song?" When I am asked this question, I usually over-answer. I break it down into categories. How can I help it? How do you compare "Merry Christmas, Baby" to "

Christmas Babies

Christmas Babies Shortly after I was born, my mother wrote the following words: "Dearest Lori: When I look at you, it's like looking into a mirror, only the reflection is pure innocence untainted by the worldliness and all the evils of the world, flesh and devil. How I pray you may always stay this way, spiritually innocent in the sight of God. This is my one...

Now What?

Now What? You know, it's funny how unaware you are of your surroundings until you have to look beyond yourself for help. While I sort of pride myself on being aware, of others' needs and community involvement, it was this little thing that happened to me that made me more aware of my own neighborhood.

Shimon Schocken on Tolerance and Hope

Shimon Schocken on Tolerance and Hope There’s something about riding a bicycle that brings to mind total freedom.  One of my earliest memories is; when my Dad took the training wheels off my first two-wheeler. I remember riding around the block, all by myself. Maybe the memory is really in my imagination, but I still get a thrill when I t...

Great Minds Discuss Ideas

Great Minds Discuss Ideas "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." -Eleanor Roosevelt I suppose I fit all three categories: I often discuss ideas, events and people. There was mention in my circle, of a prominent spiritual leader and his wife who are having...

Following My Own Path

Following My Own Path... After My Mom As Thanksgiving approaches, like many of you, I’ve been giving thought to what I’m thankful for.  I love that I get to work from home.  I’m incredibly grateful that we are able to make ends meets.  I’m also thankful to be able to host my friends and my son’s friends at mealtime. 

Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost I have been sunk in a deep blue funk...all because of a dream. Like most dreams, it makes very little sense, especially upon close examination. But the feelings it evoked...those were real. Real enough to bring tears to my eyes at the memory. In the dream, I'd arrived at my alma mater in Indiana, a place I know from its frequent appearances in my dreams symbolizes peace to me. I was...

Thanksgiving on My Mind

Thanksgiving on My Mind I will not be spending Thanksgiving with my family this year. In fact, it's been more than 20 years since the whole lot of us got together for the holiday. Still, like most everyone, I vividly recall family Thanksgivings of old. Like most memories, it's mostly sense-based; that is, redolent of food.

Prayer for Thanksgiving

Prayer for Thanksgiving What if Thanksgiving isn't really that special after all? If you're the kind of person who wakes up every day and prays, counts your blessings and gives thanks for the bounty in your life; do you need a holiday to do what you already do? How 'bout getting together with the family? Your family has no "dys" in front of their "functional" and you all get together for...

Peace-Filled Families: Part Two

Peace-Filled Families: Part Two While I mentioned that my daughter and her husband seem to have taken on the positives of one another's personality to present a united parenting team, that's not always the case in families. My own marriage had its ups and downs, and my husband and I were not always on the same page with regard to discipline, allowances, curfews, and the list goes on.

My Calling

My Calling I don’t have a bountiful womb.  Or maybe I do.  The point is I’m not hell bent on finding out. I’ve wanted to write since I was twelve-years-old.  It’s never been a choice of whether I wanted to or not.  I have to write just like I have to wear a bra with extra padding or pretend I’m not checking myself out in the full-length mirror at the mall when I totally am.  Breathing, eating, taking a peaceful...

40 Seconds to a Life of Purpose

40 Seconds to a Life of Purpose Oh, how we all love to read story about the down-on-their-luck family, who crafted a Christmas tree out of toilet paper tubes and gave out oranges to the kids as presents. Ever notice how those heart-warming stories are always set in the distant past? We’re living in a time of high...

Every Woman

Every Woman Has a Story A few years ago, my mother had breast cancer. She went to an oncologist who suggested she have her lymph nodes removed. Having watched two of her sisters go through this battle, my mom knew that lymph edema (a terribly painful swelling) would be a side effect, and said she preferred to keep her glands. The doctor, a man, looked right at her and said, "When your cancer comes back, don't come crying to...

Grammar Rules!

Grammar Rules! I'll admit it; I'm fanatical about being grammatical. Spelling, punctuation, syntax...these things are important to me because they can help (or hinder) communication. Imagine I walk into a room and say, "Apple broomstick waterbug!" to you. You would be mystified, and rightly so, especially if I explained, "That's just how I say hello."

Hat Made of Ham

And a Hat Made of Ham One of the most important characters in my life is my dog, Sheena. She's thirteen, has cataracts, arthritis, and a tumor on her running leg the size of a golf ball, but being part Border Collie, she's still on the job as the canine-keeper of this family – her flock, if you will. Every so often, as I'm walking down the hall, I'll suddenly...

A Jew Writes a Christmas Letter

A Jew Writes a Christmas Letter Holiday Update 2010 Dear Friends and Family, Well, we made it through another year and here are some of the highlights. David thought he had another attack of gout, this time in his ankle, but when it didn’t go away after taking the Allopurinol, he finally went to see a podiatrist who...

Rites of Passage

Rites of Passage They say that growing old is compulsory, and growing up is discretionary. Each individual has his own idea of what makes one grow. Each nation and creed has its own method or ceremony of determining when someone has "grown up".

Spread Life this Advent Season

Spread Life this Advent Season Last Sunday was the second Sunday in Advent.  From the children’s message to the sermon, the theme of Life shone through, especially when Saint Nicholas came up.  You’ve probably heard of him.  After all, his life and legend gave rise to our tradition of Santa Claus. Don’t you see it?  Claus is short for...

The Greater Purpose of Self-Indulgence

The Greater Purpose of Self-Indulgence A few year ago, while working with a touring theatre company, I had a debate with a touring partner of mine regarding the nobility of acting.  He argued that there was nothing noble about his career choice.  I begged to differ. “Theatre is all about empathy,” I said.  “Theatre gets people to sit down and be quiet long enough to imagine what it would be like to be in someone else’s shoes.  I’ve seen and read so many plays that have helped me understand that people I thought were completely...

The Truth About Ugly Pumpkins

The Truth About Ugly Pumpkins I love pumpkin: pie, seeds, bread, and soup. Just like the ugly scarecrow and the ugly gargoyle, the ugly jack-o-lantern was designed to "ward off evil spirits." I always thought this was a hilarious approach: ward off evil with an ugly decoy! ...

All Creatures Great and Small: James Herriot

All Creatures Great and Small: James Herriot When you read a great book, it’s like being in the time and place of the story and becoming friends with its characters. That’s where I’ve been the last few weeks: Yorkshire England, in the 1940’s, with country veterinarian James Herriot.

To Jane Goodall: You’re Not Getting Older, You’re Getting Better

To Jane Goodall: You’re Not Getting Older, You’re Getting Better Jane Goodall said that she had 40 years of success, and a lot of what she...

The Healing Hour

The Healing Hour I hope I didn’t blow it. I was a guest this weekend, on a radio show with a Muslim audience. I prepared for the show by selecting a prayer reading that talked about women of diversity gathering together. What I wanted the audience to know was how wonderful and how unique it is, to pray in a community with women from different faiths. I’m...

Time of Waiting

Advent is a Time of Waiting Among other things, Advent is a time of waiting.  This theme was emphasized with the snowfall and frigid temperatures we in the Midwest experienced this weekend.   We live close to our church and my husband was head usher, so we pulled on sweaters and boots.  At church, we waited with our pastor who made the trip over u...

Everyday Heroes

Everyday Heroes There are two kinds of people; those who own up and those who don’t. Post-election remarks separate the real winners and losers.

Lost Weight?

Have You Lost Weight? It's been said that you can never be too rich or too thin.  But the latest winner of America's Top Model might just prove that cliche wrong.At 6 feet, 2 inches,

Women Handling Heartbreak: Divorce Rehab

Women Handling Heartbreak: Divorce Rehab “Women, how do you handle heartbreak?” That was the lead-in to a Palm Beach Post article that caught my eye. It’s...

Recycling for a Higher Power

Recycling for a Higher Power Do as you’re told. Nobody says that to me anymore; I’m a grown-up now. Of course there are rules to follow in private and public life, and it helps that what I like to do isn’t illegal or immoral. It’s interesting that a...

How to Fight Fatigue

How to Fight Fatigue Fibromyalgia, move over— there are women who refuse to be tired! I just don’t hap...

What's Your Logo?

"Maurine," I asked, "is there any connection between the man on the Quaker Oats box, and your religion?" She laughed kindly before explaining that, no, there was no direct connection. The oats company used the image of the Quaker man because of their reputation for being so trustworthy in business. If your essence was a logo, what would it be?

I Paid the Labyrinth a Visit

When I'm at Sunday service, I join in the Lord's Prayer and the Prayer of Confession. I take specific concerns to God and give thanks now and again throughout my day. But for years I struggled with meditative prayer. I'd get a cup of coffee and sit, determined to meditate and listen for God. Other people do it. I should be able to do it too. Eyes closed, I'd breathe deeply. In. Out. In. Did I remember to get the chicken out to defrost? No, no. Time for that later. Out. In. Out. Is the cat having a hair ball? Focus! In. Out. What on earth is that cat doing?

Going Against Traffic: Culture Clash and a Two Way Street

Going Against Traffic: Culture Clash and a Two Way Street As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, "Herman, I just heard on the news that there's...

How to Pass the Chuckle Test

How to Pass the Chuckle Test I needed a sure-fire way to keep me from ruining my son’s

Epiphany

Epiphany: How Little ThingsMake a Big Difference Just the other day, I had an epiphany – ironic since Epiphany is coming up on January 6th.  Epiphany celebrates when the Magi visited the Christ Child and recognized him as Holy.   In the more common sense, an epiphany is a realization.  Mine concerned how quickly little things add up.  

The Best Gift

The Best Gift of All For the fourth Sunday of Advent, the couple who lit the Advent wreath read about the birth of Christ.  They discuss how the greatest gift of all came in the form of a tiny baby.  For those who were awaiting a warrior king, it was so far beyond their expectations, that they didn’t even notice.  Not only did the Messiah come as a baby, he was born in l...

God Asked: May I Have this Dance?

This was how things started for Judy Lee Trautman. Give or take a few details. And her story made me think of the ways I experience rhythm and rhapsody in my body: my monthly menstrual cycle; my moods, internal seasons, and landscapes; my pineal gland's hunger for sunlight; my intuition's thirst for moonlight; my prayerful salute to yin and yang; movement and rest; succulence and holiness. God has all my dances, it seems. Leading, twirling and dipping me. Floors will never be the same.

Generous Giving with No Strings Attached

Generous Giving with No Strings Attached There’s not too much I get by snail mail these days. Many of our bills are paperless, and nobody writes letters anymore. Catalogs and advertisements still pour in, but they don’t count....

Sacred Doesn’t Have to be Serious

Sacred Doesn’t Have to be Serious He found a letter among her things; it was addressed to her three boys. It was written when her handwriting was still perfect; before her health declined and her hands began to shake. Their...

Announcing the Launch of Prayables Radio

This Monday, October 4th, at Noon Central will be the first live airing of Prayables Radio!  It's the start of a 5-day a week one-hour internet radio show dedicated to your spiritual vibrancy, curiosity and whatever else you say is important to you. We want to do two things with the show: give you the information and inspiration that can lift your day, and interact with you! ...

Starting Point to a Better Tomorrow

Starting Point to a Better Tomorrow I remember the exact moment it hit me. I was in Marshall Field’s riding a down...

How to Eliminate Bad Moods

How to Eliminate Bad Moods My college roommate was a complete bitch. I’m grateful for her rotten personality, sarcasm and mean spirit. Michelle was all the motivation I needed to spend a lifetime in a good mood. She scared the crabbiness right out of me; I’m rarely moody anymore. I was getting ready for the long holiday weekend, and I was in a terrific mood. I got...

Keeping It Clean

Keeping It Clean I was at school when it was the praxis to give students "study lists" – conjugations; dates; facts; idioms; poems; proverbs; quotations; spellings; theorems. We got out of school just when our brains were in imminent danger of becoming pedagogic data-banks. Yet this tedious method was a one-stop-shop for keeping us occupied, teaching us general knowledge, and encouraging our brains to...

Three Ways to End Family Fighting

Three Ways to End Family Fighting Seems to me, everybody around me is talking about it: The most intense fighting is in families. When you love someone, have a long history, and are stuck with them – that’s when your fights escalate beyond mild disagreement. This was the pre...

I Forgive, For Me

Stuff happens.  People do things.  Or they don't do things.  And it might feel disappointing.  Or isolating.  So, will I choose to remind myself -- again and again -- how unfair it all was?  Will I play a 'special victim' and demonize the person who let me down? Rev. Eileen Epperson says releasing resentment (aka "forgiveness") is a better way to handle conflict and offense. 

Food, Friends, and Fulfillment: The Secret Sauce

Food, Friends, and Fulfillment: The Secret Sauce I’m searching for the secret sauce. Like a great chef— I’m trying to find the recipe that will keep my guests coming back for more. I thought about it again last...

Dear Young Girl

Dear Young Girl *Note: I write this week's post with a spirit of gratitude to my parents, who had a gift for preaching the message of pre-marital abstinence as a celebration of intimacy within marriage, rather than a warning against making myself "worthless." Thank God for all parents who raise their girls to know sexuality as a blessing. Dear Young Girl, When I was your age,...

Too Mad to Pray

Too Angry to Pray Last week, the labyrinth simply wasn't working for me. Not like it usually does. I was simply too angry. A friend had called asking for prayers because of a problem in her extended family that put two children at risk. As I walked the winding path, I prayed. I prayed for the children. I prayed for the adults, but these weren't my best prayers. I was too angry. I strode down the...

Glass Works

Glass Works At the corner of our dining room stood a Murano glass lamp-stand. Its intricate glass flowers and leaves were dull and opaque with dust, and its brass base had long lost its lustre. My excuse was that the smell of metal polish gets up my nose and gives me a migraine.  It had been a wedding gift to my parents in the early 1950's; one of those intricate, fragile jigsaw...

The Tree Looks Taller and Other Mentor-Mentee Topics

The Tree Looks Taller and Other Mentor-Mentee Topics Groupon is the fastest growing internet...

Peace-Filled Families: Part One

Peace-Filled Families: Part One I had a friend once who said I was a round person. Thanks, I thought. Then, she explained that there are "round" people and "tentacle" people. Round people let things roll off, and tentacle people lash out or are always ready to respond in like form to a hurt or injustice. She described herself as a tentacle person. Yes, I could see that, but she was also the one who would stand up for other people right away, and took things...

A Jewish Girl’s Guide to Choosing a Church

A Jewish Girl’s Guide to Choosing a Church A Jew walks into a church. …sounds like an opening line to a joke, but it’s not; I decided to go to church on Sunday. They call me Chief of Pray, I’m the founder of Prayables.com, a multi-faith prayer community for women. Every once in a while, I test my theory and go offline to pray with people from different religions. Choosing a church to attend was my first task....

Word Perfect

Word Perfect My sister's university thesis had been about language – specifically, the way it is used as lyrics in pop songs. 'Pop' was used explicitly in its original meaning of popular, rather than what it signifies today – an endless repetition of the same phrase, or syllables that have neither rhyme nor meaning. I'd typed it out for her on our manual typewriter, because lupus made her joints ache. I was so pro...

One People, One Purpose, One Prayer for Unity

One People, One Purpose, One Prayer for Unity Jews are very clannish people. I know; I am one. I got confirmation from a welcome source this past Sabbath. Rabbi Michael Melchior was a guest Rabbi at the

Drugstore Make-Up

Drugstore Make-Up It was my first time. The very first time I paid to check baggage on an airplane. I can usually get away with a carry-on. This weekend I was travelling to attend a wedding— that meant a fancy dress and lots of other stuff to help me look bee-u-tee-full for all of the festivities. As I was packing, I threw my...

Coffee and Apathy

Coffee and Apathy Commiserate. "Bitch and moan." Kvetch. The English offer each other "tea and sympathy." What we do here in the states could be better described as "coffee and apathy." Most of us have become fairly adept at seeming to care about the travails of our fellow travelers on the road of life. We issue the appropriate...

Three Ways to be Perfectly Satisfied

Three Ways to be Perfectly Satisfied Satisfaction comes from three places: your mind, your body and your soul. 1. You can be satisfied intellectually. Let’s say you learn something new – how wonderful to finally get it! Maybe you’re challenged on a long-held belief. The arguments and discussion from a different point of view,...

Good Job! Who Really Needs Praise?

Good Job! Who Really Needs Praise? I’m not really around little kids that often in the winter months. That’s when I live in West Palm Beach Florida, in a condo, next to a University, and close to the business district. I work from home and I don’t get out much. My most regular outings are when I go to synagogue.

Peace After Loss: Part One

Peace After Loss: Part One Over three years ago, I lost my husband suddenly when he had a heart attack in our backyard. I was peacefully taking a shower, getting ready to go to town to do a little shopping then to Good Friday mass at our parish. I loved Easter week. The whole idea of new life, resurrection, and coming out of the darkness of winter into the world's awakening to spring. Then part of me died.

Lighthouses in Dark Waters

Lighthouses in Dark Waters "I'm a little piece of leather, but I'm well put together."And she was.  My Grandma.  Sassy and sacred in one incredibly charming package.  When she wasn't watching the 700 Club, she snapped fresh string beans, or shucked Grandad-grown corn while watching the Price is Right or Family Feud. 

Prayer for President Obama

Prayer for President Obama Here’s why I am a terrible activist: I’m overly open-minded. When I try to rally around a cause, I see both sides of the issue. In the news, there was a very big hullabaloo over extending the

Into the Light: Resolution Revolution

Into the Light: Resolution Revolution Resolved: I will not be making any New Year's resolutions this year. When you think about it, it makes sense. Why should a tick in the calendar make any difference in our lives? If it wasn't a priority yesterday, what makes it one today? Besides, how many resolutions really get, well, resolved? Not many. After week two, it's back to our old...

A Bird Doesn’t Sing Because it Has an Answer

A Bird Doesn't Sing Because it Has an Answer A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, a bird sings because it has a song. This is a Chinese proverb that showed up on a very pretty t-shirt, designer

Spirituality vs. Religion

Spirituality vs. Religion I wish I had a nickel, for every time someone said to me, “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual.” I wouldn’t be rich, but I’d have a purse full of nickels! Religion tends to get a bad rap; what with wars being waged in its name, and too many nutcases declaring themselves a church, then picketing at funerals. Spirituality on the other hand, conjures up images of...

I Kid You Not

I Kid You Not "Zing with the oy and the hey-o and the nice lady!"  This was my son, quoting a funny line from the latest popular video on YouTube.  "Oh, you discovered Jerry Lewis?" I asked.  He said, "Who's Jerry Lewis?"  I told him it was the comedian he was quoting.  He said, "C'mon, Ma, that was Ray William Johnson." 

Stiletto Stoners Prayer

Stiletto Stoners Prayer I was having lunch with a new business friend

How Many Marriages End in Divorce?

How Many Marriages End in Divorce? Big doings in the U.K., William and Kate announced their upcoming marriage, and re-ignited Princess Di fever once again. For women of a certain age who loved Princess Di, getting ready for a new pretty young lady to join the royal family, is a bittersweet moment. “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit...

Jammed Sliding Doors

Jammed Sliding Doors When I followed Quantum Leap assiduously, my favorite expression was, “Oh, Boy!” Samuel Beckett’s catchphrase just before he felt that he was leaping into the body of his next "host." Throughout the series, we were given piecemeal information about how this partial amnesia happened; the...

Leaving a Legacy or Cooking with Grandma

Leaving a Legacy or Cooking with Grandma If you’ve ever seen a five-year old help grandma cook, you’ll know what I mean. Picture the cute little girl or boy, with grandma’s apron tied around the waist, doubled over, and grazing the floor. Norman Rockwell could have painted...

Can Meditation Help End Your Suffering?

Rev. Guo Cheen says it can.  She offered a practical example.  Let's say something has angered you, and you feel it in your body.  Blood rushes to your face, and your heart-beat quickens.  This is when we have a choice.  Most times, we "fight" or "fly."  But Cheen walked us through a third option: "relax into the suffering and pain."Hmmm, suffering is not something I typically want to "relax into."  But I'd prefer it to fighting or fleeing, so I thought...

Theway-itis

"Theway-itis" At the end of every night, I try "wind down" by watching the late news. A gang shooting at the Little League field. Thunderstorm tomorrow. I couldn't figure it out then, but it was actually winding me up, not down, and adding to the stockpile of stress in my mind.

Builder or Destroyer?

Are You a Builder or Destroyer? “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”Proverbs 14:1This verse has been bouncing around in my head for about a week now.  When I first read it, I thought of a former co-worker.  Divorced with young sons, she never missed a chance to badmouth her ex. 

The Sacrifice of Strangers

The Sacrifice of Strangers Great Uncle Vic was married to Ruby only one year when he enlisted as a US soldier during World War II. He was probably younger than me when he came home on furlough and convinced his sister-in-law, Naomi, to go bowling with them. "C'mon," he said. "This may be the last chance you get to bowl with me." Naomi told me this story recently, adding, "I think he already knew somehow."

Peace After Loss

Peace After Loss: Part Two "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face...you must do the thing you think you cannot do." -Eleanor Roosevelt That last line hits me and gives me strength every time I think about it. And even though it wasn't a conscious quote on my mind in those months after Denny...

Everybody's a Star

Everybody's a Star Celebrity gossip sites may call them the "Biggest Scandals of 2010," but I read these stories from a different perspective.  This was a tough year for me, and it taught me to view challenges through a "future filter."  That is, what did I learn from this experience that I can use going forward?  When the...

Dark Thoughts

Dark Thoughts Stupid. Ugly. Fat. Words like these, directed at myself, are practically a constant in my life. And those are the nicer ones. I don't even mean the worse ones — some are outright lies — but I repeat them anyway, over and over, like a mantra of doom. It took me forever to realize what my problem really was. I was being too easy on myself.

Hannukah Stories That Say Merry Christmas

Hannukah Stories That Say Merry Christmas I am unsentimental to a fault. I brag about not wanting gifts and I rarely give them. I just don’t have the warm, fuzzy memories of opening presents and feeling delighted, or giving the perfect present that makes someone squeal. I remember my disappointment when I got a brand-new blue Columbia bike f...

Thankfulness

Thankfulness I attended an interfaith women's group meeting on Saturday. The topic was loss – of all types – and how we can move beyond it. As the morning went on, more of the older members of the group discussed the loss they felt about their childhood.

Bathroom Prayer

Bathroom Prayer It started out innocently enough, a question about prayer from our Prayables Facebook page. “Where’s the strangest place you pray?” It was our biggest flurry of comments so far. And the winner is… the bathroom! Not a big surprise to me. In this era of multi-tasking and luxurious bathrooms, it stands to reason that the place to pray is the place we...

Open Door Policy

Open Door Policy One of my foibles is leaving cupboard doors and drawers open. I do have a reason for it, too. When folding clothes, it is much easier to put them away using both hands. When drying dishes, I can put flatware, glassware and pots and pans away as I go along. I do this even when I am helping out someplace else.

Truth in Advertising

Truth in Advertising Politicians and preachers have something in common - besides occasional sex scandals and corruption - and that is, the uncanny ability to always stay "on message." The same holds true in the world of advertising.  I've written some copy for ad campaigns, and one of my favorites this year was for a charitable entity here in New Jersey,

Tomorrow is a Gift, Not a Promise

Betty Bland, nationally-elected President of The Theosophical Society, shared how a near-death experience launched her life into unexpected leadership and service. This made me wonder what I would do differently with my life if I came really close to losing it? If I would forgive more quickly and completely, why not now? If I would take larger creative or emotional risks, why not now? What will it take to fully activate the God-stuff inside of me? I mean all the way activated,...

Creating Your Own Meme

Creating Your Own Meme My son just had a birthday, and as is his custom, he exploited it for all it was worth. "It's a big one, Ma! Have you looked at the calendar? Huh? It's 10-10-10." Pause. "Can I stay up late?" He said he was following an important thread on his favorite forum. "There's a meme in the making!" he exclaimed. Oh, well, if it's a meme in the......

Timbali Crafts

Timbali Crafts The book of James instructs us “to look after widows and orphans in their distress.” In Swaziland, that’s a big, big job. With a population of 1.2 million, this landlocked African country has the highest AIDS rate in the world at 39%;...

Paying Homage to My Indiana Roots

Paying Homage to My Indiana Roots Today is Indiana Statehood Day On December 11, 1816, Indiana was admitted to the Union.  I am not a history buff, but I do tip toward nostalgia. So, since Indiana was my birthplace, and because I spent much of my childhood and college years there, I'm inspired to honor the

Portion Control

Portion Control I would pay a lot of money for a little amount of caramel corn. I was cutting through the food court, when my nose took me past

Life in a Box

Life in a Box I've grown weary of the phrase "think outside the box." Box? What box? But then, I got to pondering. I live on the east side of a medium-large town. It takes maybe 20 minutes to get as far west as one would want to go. Yet I don't know anything about the west side. It might as well be 1,000 miles away. I'm perfectly happy...

How Do You Use Your Voice?

Right out the gate, Susan Stark Christianson wanted to let us know why she sounds the way she does. The damage to her vocal chords that caused her to have to relearn to speak, gave her a very special regard for her voice, and how she uses it -- how she lifts it on behalf of others. All while she spoke, I thought of how she had earned the right to fill my ears. She had earned it both with her content, and her character. Wisdom, help me do the same. Guide me to use my voice to uplift others. Our voices are powerful instruments that charge our surroundings, and the people around...

Overcoming Obstacles: Prayer for Rose Marie

Overcoming Obstacles: Prayer for Rose Marie Recently the team has been discussing a new way to reach out to our community, by making the prayer request feature of Prayables more prominent. We are in the process of making a prayer request forum to add to the PrayPals Community. This will make it...

Bedtime Tango: Part One

Bedtime Tango: Part One My daughter doesn't like to go to bed. Well, no, let me revise my previous statement. My daughter loves to go to BED, but hates to go to SLEEP. Laying her down has become a testy tango. I lay her down, she pretends to go to sleep, opens her door, pushes out the bottom of the baby gate, army crawls under it, and begins to create disasters.

Curiosity Doesn't Kill, Ignorance Does

Curiosity Doesn't Kill, Ignorance Does I was a curious kid.  I grew up to be an even more curious adult.  And you'd think Google and Wikipedia would help matters but no, they just feed my frenzy to explore and discover all that I can about this incredible gift of life.  Exhale.Along those crowded lines of curiosity, I'm going to a lecture at University of Chicago this afternoon titled "

It’s Not the Thought that Counts

It’s Not the Thought that Counts It’s the thought that counts. Add that to the list of propaganda and lies you grew up with. Actually, it’s not the thought that counts. It’s what you do that counts. Since last Wednesday, I’ve been thinking about Irwin. His beloved wife Barbara passed away last week after fighting a losing battle with cancer. Barb and Irwin are part of my

Limitless

After each show, I'm going to briefly share my biggest take-aways from it.  Today, the launch of our show, talking with Susan Diamond gave me lots of insights.  Here are just three:Willingness - Take risks.  Sure, it can be scary to be "seen" or "heard."  It can feel vulnerable to publicly expose your ideas and your heart, but what happens when we are willing to do so?  Growth happens.  Possibilities emerge.  Community draws closer.  Willingness neutralizes perfectionism, and makes room for learning and...

Serenity Now

Serenity Now I often liken my life to episodes of Seinfeld.  There was “The Summer of Ericka” where I lounged around the house in my underwear and only took to removing my behind from the couch to rifle through the fridge.  Then there was the time when I pulled an

Tribal Rhythm

Tribal Rhythm I have learned that belly dance is all about isolation. My teacher taught me this several weeks ago, explaining that the hypnotizing nature of the dance comes from the way the hips and the torso move independently. I have also learned that the act of learning belly dance is a sort of isolation.

Symbiosis

Symbiosis: Beneficial Friendships In my school days, I had tracing paper and carbon paper to help me draw, but the former set my teeth on edge and the latter made me sneeze. Nowadays, I still can’t draw a creditable amoeba. One homework assignment I remember particularly well involved creating and dividing an exercise book into three, width-wise.

How to Really Save Daylight

How to Really Save Daylight So tonight when we go to bed, we've got to set our clocks back one hour.  An adjustment we make twice a year to "save daylight."  This phrase has always baffled me.  Daylight is not saved, it's just moved -- from the beginning of the day to the middle of the day.  The merchants who came up with this time-dance scheme felt the daylight was more valuable during "leisure hours" (translation: hours from which you can...

Spread the Light this Advent Season

Spread the Light this Advent Season I'm writing this on Monday. Yesterday was the first Sunday in Advent. For anyone who is unfamiliar with Advent, it is the Christian celebration in preparation for the Advent of the King, the coming of Christ on Christmas day. Traditionally, it is a time of penitence, preparing yourself to be worthy of such a gift. It is also a...

Thread Carefully

Thread Carefully When I was a kid, I caught the occasional spider and let it loose in my room without telling my sister. But, it wasn't a practical joke. I was being eco-conscious, way before the word was a twinkle in any environmentalist's eye.

Your Get Up and Go, Got Up and Left

Your Get Up and Go, Got Up and Left It reads this way: "Blessed are you oh God, for giving me renewed energy for life." That’s my favorite morning blessing. I am exhausted at the end of each day, and occasionally even during it, but I...