I recently came across a card I wrote and sealed to myself at the beginning of our doctoral voyage. My little statement of fears, hopes, worries, and prayers from two years ago at Cannon Beach says: Comfort of the known, Fear of rejection/isolation, and Not having much in the way of a “team.” Talk about … Continue reading Open Minds Open Possibilities
Avoidance is the best policy, right? 😂 While I spent much of my life “running” from sadness, anger, fear, frustration, and the like, I’ve realized: Radical acceptance of the awkward stuff, not avoidance, is the path to flourishing. In many ways, the Lorde concert I just went to was a masterful artistic audiovisual illustration of this truth. Midway through the performance, … Continue reading Accepting Awkwardness Creates Awesomeness
These recent views from our house breathed hope into my soul. There’s something about the short, dark days of this season that brings out and amplifies the darkness, down feelings, depression, and despair within us. Know what I mean? Still, the way the light pierced the clouds to bring an extra “sparkle” to the mountains, … Continue reading From Our Darkest Dark, Our Brightest Bright is Born
Today is my 12th rebirth day; as on 11/10/08 I should have died after a nightmarish chain of events led to me plummeting 30 feet off a cliff, headfirst onto a boulder. While I'm always hesitant to share this, "don't be boastful" says a voice in my head, I decided to anyway. 🙂 Aside from "12" … Continue reading Celebrating Life: The 12th Anniversary of the Day I Should Have Died
Hope is believing in a stranger future. What do you want the coming days and years to hold for you? Your circle? Nation? The world? Hope is not only the powerful energy that guides us through dark times, it's the dynamic force that creates better realities. I see on the horizon, clear as day, healing, understanding, and … Continue reading Hope is Believing in a Stranger Future
When life, or the world, gets crazy, what keeps you centered, hopeful, and Loving? I could be wrong, but it seems to me we're like satellites, and without something Big, Bold, Beautiful, and Beyond our small selves to orbit around, we go careening off into space or crash into the ground like a satellite that's lost its … Continue reading What Gives You Meaning and Purpose in Life?
Cheers! Even though it's been nearly seven years and I'm incredibly happily remarried, I still sometimes feel DEEPLY hurt by and confused why my second wife left me. By the conventional wisdom that good deeds are rewarded and bad punished, we'd have stayed together. What's more, it's the same story if one went by my … Continue reading Faith, Hope, and Love for NO Reason
Cheers to you! 6+ years ago when I moved to Poulsbo, while I was unpacking, I came across the wedding vows my soon to be ex-wife and I had written for each other. I decided to read them, and I don't know if I've ever been more undone and washed out by grief than in … Continue reading 12 Gifts of Christianity
What do you think, or hope, happens after we die? Say we knew with 100% certainty what will occur, what would change for you here/now? While I don’t think that’s going to happen, I am convinced talking and sharing about death will make us less afraid, less anxious, and more loving now. While thinking about four … Continue reading What Might Happen After We Die and Why It Matters: Let’s Talk About Death Part 6
You know how writers often start with the ending of their book? The conclusion shapes the story from the beginning on. Life is much the same. What we believe about our “ending” deeply informs how we act now. With that in mind, the other day I was thinking about the Second Coming of Christ and … Continue reading A “Crazy” Idea About the Second Coming of Christ
Grace and Peace Yoga 