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We are not "in love"... but, we are love. I'm glad, It lasts longer. Portia Nelson, There's a Hole in My Sidewalk Portia Nelson's book of poetry just got to me yesterday. The 35th edition, originally published in 1997. Though it's a classic, I have only ever read the opening poem, the most famous one in it - Autobiography in Five Short Chapters . It is used often in therapy groups including those recovering from addiction largely to teach mindfulness and help

“A ll pain deserves to be held in the warm embrace of compassion, so that healing can occur.” — Dr. Kristin Neff, renowned self-compassion researcher and practitioner In an earlier blog, I wrote about taking the U-turn — that sacred pause where we regain our center, get back to our "home," the seat of focus, attention, and intention (some call it our true Self or best self). The U-turn keeps us from spinning outward in blame or panic. But sometimes a pause, a breath or two,

“The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn One of the most dangerous myths we carry is the belief that evil lives somewhere else—in other people, other nations, other eras of history. It is comforting, but it is not true. What social psychology, history, and lived experience tell us—again and again—is that the capacity for cruelty and the capacity for courage live side by side in all of us. Which one emerges often dep

"The way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good."  — Boromir, The Lord of the Rings...

It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn. B. C. Forbes, Scottish-American...

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – The Dalai Lama It’s easy to...

“Everything We Do Is an Attempt to Meet a Need.” Marshall Rosenberg I’m going to share a story.  Like the previous blog, this isn’t the...

How, exactly, do we resolve dilemmas that tempt us to choose either this or that and instead hold the tension long enough to let a “third...

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage . Anais Nin Today I'm still reflecting on Juneteenth. Where I always go when I get...

“Daddy," I whispered, feeling my own breath hitch in my throat. "I love you." Just when I was sure he was asleep, the one corner of his...

R eceiving kindness, gentleness, warmth and compassion tells the brain that the world is safe and other people are helpful rather than...

Yes, I saw and read some of the political news yesterday. I am politically independent - still I have plenty of thoughts about what path...

"The wound is the place where the light enters you." Rumi, poet Some years ago, my brother, Steve, shot himself.  Steve never recovered...

These are not new values or ideals. As long as there has been strife and hunger and exploitation and cruelty, there have been...

There is no 'them' and 'us.' There is only us. Father Gregory Boyle When a system is far from equilibrium small islands of  coherence in...

Between stimulus and response there's a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and...

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies...Abraham Lincoln. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not...

For each event, use mindfulness, a sense of common humanity, and kindness to process the event in a self-compassionate way. Dr. Kristin...

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. Mother Teresa An acquaintance’s obituary was published...

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." Blaise Pascal, French inventor and physicist “I’m...