I have thought a lot about the sacrifices that so many men and women make in service to this country. Â And men and women have been making these sacrifices for this country since the revolutionary war. Â If we were to tabulate the number of those who have died, it would be in the millions. Â And if we added to that number those who had been gravely maimed, coupled with the emotional toll o[...]
25 And our weather here in MN feels like summer too. Â It's rather nice, actually. Â When we left Naples a few days ago the weather was hovering near 90 every day so having it in the 80's here is perfect. Â But what's important about the holiday is that we are remembering those who gave their lives in service for our country. Â The first official observance was in Waterloo, Iowa in 1866 but t[...]
As I mentioned in my last blog, Joe and I were headed back to MN for the summer months. Â We arrived safely yesterday but the trip feels longer and harder every year. Â That may be the advancing age and the fact that we travel in a Ford Escape, a great little car but it's not equipped with all the creature comforts. Â We may choose another option for getting it, and us, both south and then[...]
My winter sojourn in Naples, Florida has come to an end. Â My husband and I head to Minnesota today, with a stop in Tampa for me to do the Hazelden Womens Healing Conference, a program that Hazelden has been offering in various locations around the country for fifteen years. Â It's really a wonderful program and CEU credits are awarded for attendance. Â It's always a two day program, a Fri[...]
I sit here amazed that it's been nearly two weeks since I blogged last. Â Where does time go? Â I love to write and I love doing this blog but I have obviously let "life" get in my way. Â Some times we enjoy the quick passage of time; the dreaded dentist appointment, for instance, if we are facing some work we really don't want to suffer through. Â Having it over more quickly than anticipa[...]
I am aware many times every day that I am listening to the louder voice in my mind. That it speaks first, and quite forcefully, is only part of its appeal. It’s familiarity and the way in which it convinces me that I AM RIGHT, in far too many encounters with others, seduces me again and again. It mesmerizes me, in fact. But I am making progress! My ego isn’t the whole of me.Â[...]
The first three decades of my life, fear dogged me constantly because I was always trying to be what I imagined some one else wanted me to be. Or the converse; rebelling against the expectations of others. The love I sought felt conditional so my behavior was always a reaction to some one. Letting others define us, or determine our thoughts or behavior in any situation, never results[...]
. . . and it's not always a pretty picture, is it? Â I have said on many occasions, in many books and at many workshops, that the relationships we have attracted are perfect for the growth we are destined to have in this life. Â Perhaps that seems farfetched to you. Â It did to me when I first heard it, but I decided to believe it for lack of any other reasonable explanation for the myriad[...]
Because of a piece I have been writing for a workshop, I have been thinking about the importance of having an open heart if we want to heal and help others heal too. Only very recently I found myself in a downward spiral emotionally, a spiral not unfamiliar to me. Â I have suffered from chronic depression for much of my life. Â I am happy to say I have received help for it, but I can still[...]
I became "a student" of A Course in Miracles more than twenty-five years ago. Â Along with the twelve steps, which I laid claim to in 1975, my life is quite peacefully guided every moment of the day if I adhere to the principles each offers as the blueprint for contentment. Â Alas, if only I'd adhere to the principles. Â They are quite simple, really. Â Live and let live. Â One day at a ti[...]
