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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

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." Dale Carnegie In the last blog, I wrote about the Velveteen Rabbit and becoming real. Most of you have read the book. We remember how the Velveteen Rabbit did not become real by striving, impressing, or polishing himself into perfection. He became real because someone loved him — long enough, steadily enough, honestly enou

“Real isn’t how you are made,” the Skin Horse tells the rabbit. “It’s a thing that happens to you.” — The Velveteen Rabbit , Margery Williams About forty-five years ago, it happened to me for the first time. A tear. An inkling.  I was on the edge of a bed with two little boys, reading The Velveteen Rabbit . I hadn’t taken a shower for days. My clothes were proof of survival, with crumbs and smudges and ketchup wiped off with a wet paper towel. As I read about a toy rabbit lon

“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

"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

The good life is found in the small practice of universal virtues that align the body, mind, and spirit. After talking to several people...

Darkness is at its deepest, just before sunrise. Voltaire There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope. ...

“When we fully accept the reality that we are imperfect human beings, prone to make mistakes and struggle, our hearts naturally begin to...

“Imbalanced systems, whether internal or external, will tend to polarize.” ― Richard C. Schwartz, Internal Family Systems Therapy “Parts...

“We’re all going to die, all of us. What a circus! That alone should make us love each other, but it doesn’t.” -Charles Bukowski Maybe...

"Adversity, in whatever form, can teach us valuable lessons and make us stronger if we have the courage to face it." Elizabeth Smart,...

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

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 –...

“Alice laughed. 'There's no use trying,' she said. 'One can't believe impossible things.' I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said...

What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness - George Saunders, Writer John has been going crazy... trying to take his "Bee...

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." Cicero, Roman stateman Happy Thanksgiving all. Turkey is...

"It's very hard to hate someone if you look them in the eye and recognize them as a human being." Maya Angelou, poet and author Maybe it...

“Close both eyes see with the other one. Then we are no longer saddled by the burden of our persistent judgments our ceaseless...

“Mean people are really just sad people. They hurt others because they are hurting. Every person is born beautiful, and much of the...

“Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone I am pumped...