We need family more than ever. I was recently reminded of this by Grandma Toodles. She died yesterday. Ninety and stricken with cancer, she died at home in Johnston Station, Mississippi where she raised five children and provided the love and support for untold numbers of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family and…
Category: Mindfulness, Faith & Spirituality
A contemplative life is a life of deep meaning, purpose, and joy.
I was having a bad day. I was down, discouraged, and afraid. The last thing I expected was to receive hope from the homeless. That evening I was to visit the local Veterans Administration Domiciliary, a place where once homeless veterans can live while they get counseling, clean up, find…
The other night I was meeting with a group of guys at the local Department of Corrections work release center and a bit of hard truth jumped up and bit me – changing one’s life is impossible without burning desire. Impossible. In some ways, the convict serving time after a…
Following our dreams can be a divisive subject. People like to talk about it in general terms, but when it comes time to act the momentum of the world and the opinions of others can stop us in our tracks. The moment we step out and follow a dream our…
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer Stop a minute and ponder this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer. NOT TO ACT IS TO ACT! When we see veterans suffering…
I was reminded yesterday about the power of words. Meeting with a couple of people who have been helped by and seen the The Ladder UPP change lives, one of them recounted words from family members that had haunted her for years. “Thunder Thighs. Fat. You’ll never amount to anything.”…