Spirituality blog I wrote
I sit with her and listen to her stories. At age 84, she’s been through a great deal. While she shares happy memories, many of the stories are tinged with hardship. Her first memory? That was walking the railroad tracks with her older sisters. She’s the youngest of eight siblings.… Read More »Lessons in Resilience
A life insurance policy is a contract with an insurance company. In exchange for premium payments, the insurance company provides a lump-sum payment, known as a death benefit, to beneficiaries upon the insured’s death. Typically, life insurance is chosen based on the needs and goals of the owner. Term life… Read More »– Life Insurance – Finding Life in Critical Illness
It was 7:10 AM. The clock radio filled my bedroom with the sounds of Morning Edition from National Public Radio. I was roused from my sleep. As I lay in bed and listened, I learned of the events that continued to unfold in Japan following the earthquakes and tsunami. A… Read More »Hope in the Midst of Horror
I sat at my desk one evening reviewing a mailing list. I compared it with addresses in my address book and rolodex. After about an hour or so of double-checking, I counted: since the previous Christmas, twenty-seven people to whom I sent cards last year were now dead. In all… Read More »Rediscovering Life: The Cycle of Grief
She spoke with clarity and focused attention. While her voice was soft-spoken, her words conveyed a potency born from deep conviction. With care, she related the experiences of her childhood, at ages 8, 9, and 10, when she was sexually abused by her father. She described the conflicting emotions and… Read More »Crushed Spirits Still Rise
As I walked through the yard, clearing debris from a harsh storm that snapped branches off trees, I came across the first clear sign of spring: daffodils poking shoots in the midst of the otherwise dead lawn. The sun has warmed the earth and new growth appears. The cycle of… Read More »Spring: Rising from the Ashes
Stress: sometimes it’s just overwhelming and gets the best of us. Sometimes, because of stress, we lose our perspective on life and are immobilized. Before I say anything more about stress, it’s important to remember that stress is a valuable part of life. Often, stress is viewed as something bad.… Read More »Stress: Breaking the Cycle
What makes a place sacred? Is it because someone or some group has said it is sacred? Or is it because there are prayers, rituals, or ceremonies done there to designate the place as sacred? Does it matter if a place is sacred to one person but not to another?… Read More »A Sacred Place
