This past week the Nobel Prize took the bold step of granting its Peace Prize to a young person – now barely the age of 17. Malala Yousafzai narrowly escaped death after being shot in the head by the Taliban. Her crime was nothing more than going to school. But as a girl living in Pakistan at the time, that act itself was political, and so the rest of life’s events unfolded as they did. I remember hearing the news... Read more
Are you one of these persons that everyone calls in a crisis? Do you know just what to say and when? Have been there to take charge and calm the mob from burning the town? Perhaps not the later, though if you’ve done that do email me the details – I’d love to know about it! But if you’re reading this the rest of previous paragraph probably describes you. I know it clearer speaks about many of my readers who... Read more
Are you able to experience gratitude on a daily basis? I’m not just talking about appreciating someone opening a door for you when your hands are full. I’m talking about a deep resonance within your heart, not just once in a while, but throughout the day, but just how blessed you are. I felt that for four days recently on a humanitarian mission to Bogotá, Colombia. As a member of Airline Ambassadors International, I accompanied over a dozen other volunteers... Read more
A week ago, a friend and I drove up to see the Avenue of the Giants in Northern California. It was a glorious ride. We stopped at the first turn out and the air smelled like heaven: sweet, sun-warmed redwood trees. We walked the paths and admired the beauty of the area. We did this at every turn out. I began to really understand the Japanese tradition of Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, which is a short leisurely visit to a... Read more
When I was a farmer, I used to spend every spring planting seeds. The tools, of course, were so much more sophisticated than centuries ago when humans moved from their hunter and gatherer state to the agrarian state, but still it struck me as a relatively boring task. What kept me engaged though was realizing that there was something profound at work. At the time I was relatively new to the teaching of Science of Mind, but even with my... Read more
This week I want to chat with you about how a room freshener led to a change in my thinking and attitude. Now you might be wondering exactly how that could happen. Or, you might rabbit hole I may have decided this week to fall into. Either way I can safely say that you probably have a smile on your face. Or not. I hope so, though! The type of room freshener I’m talking about are those gel-like, round beads... Read more
When you think back on the past what comes to mind? Good memories? Painful ones? Tomorrow is Patriot Day in the United States. It’s observed on September 11 to mark the anniversary of terrorist attacks in 2001. (Side point? It’s “Patriot Day,” NOT “Patriot’s Day!” Patriot’s Day (or Patriots’ Day) commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord, which were fought near Boston in 1775. Being in a relationship with a historian has its perks.) Patriot Day. On September 11, 2001, at... Read more
Do you believe you only live once? When I was a child I was taught there was no life before this one. It was drilled into me that if I died before Judgment Day there would be no life after death, unless I had been really, really … I mean REALLY … good and did all the things I was taught on Sunday and throughout the week. As I grew older I came to believe that life is eternal and,... Read more
I always find it interesting to watch what the media pays attention to. Recently we’ve witnessed the horror and the shame of what took place in Ferguson Missouri, as a result of one police officer’s decision to shoot – and ultimately kill – Michael Brown, an 18-year-old unarmed black man. It was a horrendous act, and likely to join the ranks of the Rodney King incident in terms of it’s impact on race relations in the United States. Across the... Read more
Recently a friend of mine shared with me one of the lessons she’s been learning as she embarks on a new life with her partner. The two of them are quite different, and they love each other deeply. They are the yin to each other’s yang. But it’s only through the opportunity of living together that my friend has come to see just how different they are, and more importantly – what part she plays in the life she is... Read more
The Principles of Spiritual Living
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