Articles
“How many days after a person dies, does the soul hang around?”
“How many days after a person dies, does the soul hang around?” That was one of many questions asked by the 40+ participants in the grief support workshop this past weekend near Guatemala City. I went to Guatemala, thinking that we would be discussing questions about grief related to the hundreds that died from the…
Read MoreAll Saints Day
While visiting Mexico City on their Halloween and Day of the Dead, a Mexican family invited me to go with them to Xochimilco to the festival of the Dia de los Muertos. Masses of people squeezed through the narrow streets past food stands and vendors of articles related to the Day of the Dead.…
Read More7 reasons why heroes thrive while others are falling apart
It was 3:34 a.m. in Lota, Chile when Marta woke up to screams and a deep rumbling sound. Everything shook, and when she tried to stand up, she felt like a sailor in a storm. She reached for the walls to steady herself, but they shook and trembled. She didn’t know it yet, but she…
Read MoreHas our nation lost its soul?
Religious volunteers are arrested because they offered water and food to new immigrants. Our police officers are shot at by terrorists who out-gun them with their AK-47s and the “rights” of the terrorists are protected more than the lives of the police officers or the citizens they try to protect. Our government goes to court…
Read MoreLeap: A poem dedicated to all soul seekers
Leap It is time now Forget all the garbage That has filled you. Be renewed in your mind, Truly renewed; transformed. The grub in the cocoon is ready, More than ready To be released. Love is calling. Life is calling. Spirit is calling. The seed that was and is and will be Can no longer…
Read MoreWill the Millennial and Z Generations save the planet?
I walked by a book display table that featured “body-mind” books. I instantly reacted with a question, “Where’s the “spirit?” In my work, we always talk about “body-mind-spirit” as the “trinity” of holistic health. We have seen years of scientific research that makes the connection between mental health, spirituality and physical health. It occurred to…
Read MoreKafka’s angst inspired his writing
While visiting the Kafka Museum in Prague, I learned that Franz Kafka’s relationship with his father was characterized by fear and oppression, beginning with his experience as a boy when his tyrant father once put him outside in the cold where he almost froze to death. His writings reflect the depression and angst that he…
Read MoreA Season for Redefining Life Meaning
Rain spattering against the window announces a good day to stay inside and write. It is the season for rain and new growth. Flowers are blooming, new leaves burst forth in soft shades of green. The creation is renewing itself and beckons me to reflect on my season of renewal. There are seasons in life…
Read MoreHeroes in the midst of unspeakable pain
What do Riley Howell, Kendrick Castillo, Joshua Jones, and Brendan Bialy have in common? They all lunged at school shooters, saving the lives of countless colleagues. Riley Howell and Kendrick Castillo sacrificed their lives to save their classmates. Their spontaneous actions of bravery illustrate the highest values of the human spirit. Riley Howell, an R.O.T.C…
Read MoreEternity Smiled
On the journey to recover my soul, I took notes. Sometimes I wrote in a travel journal while other times I felt the urge to write in poetry. Some poems were serious while others were light and playful, like the one that follows. Eternity came and knocked On my door one night I thought I…
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