Holiday Feeding Frenzy: Is This What Life Is About?

The yearly feeding frenzy of holiday shoppers has begun. While post-Thanksgiving shoppers ventured forth with tasers in hand and hearts full of greed and aggression, my mood turned pensive. Is this really what life is all about? What compels someone to leave their table of blessing to find (and sometimes fight with others to get) more …

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Shame: Swampland of the Soul

Brene Brown is my she-ro; she has ventured deeply into the “swampland of the soul,” looked at shame straight in the eye and dared to tell us what she saw. Brown is part of a long line of women who have taught and inspired me with her knowledge and her courage. She wakes us out of our …

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The Secret to Happiness

I have long been of the opinion that the secret to happiness is managing expectations. I once read that expectations are simply anticipated disappointments. So if you want to be happy, don’t expect any one or anything to make it so. I’m not saying don’t dream but in the dreaming recognize that the only thing …

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Values. Relationship. Conflict.

Values. . . we often assume we know what we mean when we bandy about terms like American values, Christian values, Progressive values, and family values. Yet the words we use to describe our values can have different meanings for different people, even the people closest to us. When values collide, conflict arises. Since February …

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Listening to Ourselves = Awakening

Listening to ourselves, to our own inner stirrings, is an act of awakening that leads us on a journey to wholeness. This listening is not simply thinking through an issue or problem and making a decision. This kind of listening is an act of consciousness that calls us to our deepest knowings—to the key bits …

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