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“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”— Julian of Norwich There is a pattern in human life that many of us slowly discover. Some seasons feel bright and expansive. Life flows easily. Gratitude rises without effort. Beauty catches us by surprise. Other seasons feel darker. Plans collapse. Certainty disappears. We find ourselves walking through confusion, grief, or struggle. For centuries spiritual teachers have described these experi

“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,

“Your breathing is your greatest friend. Return to it in all your troubles and you will find comfort and guidance.” — Anthony de Mello. Indian Jesuit Priest, psychotherapist A friend and mentor, Dr. Frank Rogers, Jr. once told a story that is both sobering and, if we are honest, a little funny (It’s in his book, Practicing Compassion; I have his permission to share it with you . ). After 9/11, during the invasion of Iraq, a small Quaker group organized a silent peace vigil at

“Yes, there is a human nature that transcends all culture… and it is precisely our power to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances.” —Viktor Frankl I was telling some of my friends who are in their eighties and nineties about the idea that this year may be historic for breakthroughs in health and longevity.  On the near horizon we could be living decades longer. They shook their heads, “No thanks".  They are not very interested in living longer.  They are feeli

"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." – Mark Twain No matter where you stand politically,...

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

"Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions." – Dalai Lama Last night John and I were trying to figure out why...

Relationships help us to define who we are and what we can become. Most of us can trace our successes to pivotal relationships. Dr....

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...

"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...

"You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice."  Bob Marley, singer Last week we were visiting with some...

"That which is to you hateful do not to your neighbor. This is the whole law; the rest is commentary on it; go, learn!" Hillel, renowned...

"The mind is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones." Rick Hanson, Ph.D., neuropsychologist, author This blog...

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own...

"When you persuade yourself that you "get to do something rather than "have to," you can find a silver lining." Josh King...

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone," Blaise Pascal, French philosopher I was thinking...

"I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out" Rodney Dangerfield, comedian According to news and local sources...

“Don't fight against negative emotions-It’s exhausting. Try to embrace them instead.” ― Anoir Ou-Chad, writer I am listening to my...