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“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12 imposition of ashes during first day of Lent Today is the beginning of the Lenten season. Across the world, foreheads will be marked with ash and the ancient words will be spoken: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.  It is not exactly a Hallmark sentiment. I used to hate it.  What a downer.  I see it differently these days. Lent (and other related rituals) may invite us to

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” — Martin Luther King Jr. We are living in a historic moment. Here in Wenatchee — and in many communities across the country — students recently walked out of school to protest the actions of ICE. Their courage moved me. Their moral seriousness stirred my admiration. And I worried. Not because their cause did not matter, but because whenever we step into charged situations, we must be prepared for what we

"No mud, no lotus." Popular Buddhist saying Why am I happy today?  There's the awful news out of Minnesota…I’ve gotten accounts from friends sending me info from both sides of our polarized society.   But then I did read an account which seemed somewhat objective and even-handed until more is known. No, my joy is not linked to any of that for sure! I did move my body.  That always helps my mood. Did yoga with John in the a.m. and then SAIL (Stay Active and Independent for Li

“Love cures people—both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.” — Karl Menninger This morning this truth jumped out from an old psychological guru. I was cleaning out books for the new year—pulling volumes from shelves, deciding what to keep, what to pass on, what still spoke and what had grown quiet. In the middle of that small ritual of sorting and letting go, I came across Karl Menninger again. His book Love Against Hate  stopped me. I sat down on the floor, ope

“The greatest gift you can give another person is the gift of your loving presence.” — Henri Nouwen If there is one truth I have learned after many years of thinking, researching, pondering, living, parenting, grandparenting, befriending, companioning, partnering and especially listening to my husband, John: we are here to love and to be loved.  Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing hidden beneath it. That is what the spiritual healers and wisdom teachers have told us for thous

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Viktor Frankl, famous psychiatrist and survivor of the Holocaust All of you in the Wenatchee Valley know what has been going on. In this blog, I'd like to offer a reflection that particularly leans on some wisdom I gleaned recently from one of my granddaughter's college entrance essays. Let's get started. (And thank you to those who have sent photos and videos). Here in our little berg

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples." — Mother Teresa For years, my husband John began his days with a simple purpose: “To improve the quality of life of each person I have the opportunity to touch.” As I have mentioned previously. As a dentist, that meant much more than fixing teeth. It meant smiling at patients, listening to their worries, encouraging their courage, and creating a calm place where fear could disso

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” – Victor Hugo Today is September 11 th .  It’s a day of remembrance.  I'm mad....

“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...

Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a...

“A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.” - Dr. Christopher...

If you fall off the horse, get back on (shouted by coaches and murmured by grandparents to keep us trying after failure...when they can't...

The true grandeur of humanity is in moral elevation.... Charles Sumner, American statesman Some of you sent me beautiful stories related...

Goodness is the only investment that never fails. Henry David Thoreau, poet, writer Moments ago, I was chatting via email with my friend,...

I don't know who discovered water, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a fish. Marshall McLuhan, writer My parents were concerned about...

“Look, you want to know what marriage is really like? Fine. You wake up, she's there. You come back from work, she's there. You fall...

“In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes...

Love thy neighbor, even when he plays the trombone. Jewish saying. I love whodunnits. Law and Order is my favorite television show...

With every true friendship, we build more firmly the foundations of which the peace of the whole world rests. Mahatma Gandhi...

It is a mistake to think that there are times when you can safely address a person without love. You can work with objects without love –...