The prince crouches behind a merlon on the battlement observing the carnage, silent, afraid to move forward. He peers through a crenel and watches the dragon slayer pull arrow after arrow out of her quiver as she selflessly defends the castle. Knights stand on either side of him protecting the asset: the person who—in spite […]
Tag Archives: God In Our Lives
Sometimes, God speaks to us in the bright light of day. Sometimes, God whispers in the still night—when we’re alone or scared or unable to take one more step forward. Sometimes, it’s really tough to hear God’s voice above the clanging gongs. And, sometimes, we have to invite God into our silence. Silence Is Golden […]
When I was in my late twenties, I was the assistant controller in a successful company. One day, the owner shared this with me: “There are givers and takers in this world. My wife is a giver. I am a taker. And, you, Kay, are a giver.” I recall the words clearly because they were […]
Loneliness is on the rise, and the impact can be staggering. Feelings of social isolation are real, in spite of the fact that we live on a planet with more than seven billion humans and have a myriad of ways to connect with each other. It’s rare to find several generations of family members living together. We […]
I stood near a table, in the country club, and watched them walk into the room. He was dressed, as usual, with a jacket and tie, his back bent a bit, but his energy evident as he starting greeting his guests. She was next to him, beautiful and radiant, her hair perfectly coiffed, her smile […]
Twas the day after Christmas and all through the place, the chatter gave way to a quieter space. The presents are stacked, although all now unwrapped, and Vero, the puppy, is taking a nap. The children are playing with new games and toys, remembering gladly the fun and the noise. We sat with our hot tea and […]
Each day as I get out of bed I say, “Thank You God”. (Many of you already know that.) Then, in my more aware moments, I tack on some of the perfunctory—superficial, easy—“thank you items”: the sunshine, my health, my family, etcetera. Those aren’t insincere “thank yous”; it’s just that they’re so darned easy to […]
A boy drops a glass of water and his mother yells, “You are always so clumsy!” The husband works for hours, on a special dinner for his wife, and the response is, “I don’t know why you even bother cooking.” The little girl hears, “I just gave you a rosary last week. How could you […]
There are times when I get so completely caught up in what’s happening in my little environment that I forget to remember the world that’s going on around me. Then, a tragedy like the mass shooting in Las Vegas—where life and living are torn apart by death and destruction,—shakes me to the core and pulls me […]
Many years ago I had the wonderful privilege of being with people who are—on the surface only of course—different from me. I was in La Entrada, Honduras on a mission trip with others from my faith community. It was a time that was rich with emotion and learning. In spite of speaking mostly through an […]
I woke up this morning acutely aware of the amazing freedom and abundance I have. I could choose to lie in my bed as long as I want on this work-free morning, get up and brush my teeth with clean water running through a faucet in one of my bathrooms (while in a third of our […]
Whenever I wasn’t with clients yesterday, I was outside pressure washing our deck. This is an annual ritual—one that’s made even more necessary because of my beloved locust tree (“The Tree”). The Tree is very messy. Each spring, seedpods fall creating a lot of residual muck to get rid of. But, in spite of the […]
There are lines (sometimes very fine) between embracing fully, accepting, settling and giving up. Today, let’s talk about giving up. It’s easy to imagine abandoning hope when you: feel scared or vulnerable, hide in the shadows, don’t have the support of those who are “supposed” to love you, are victimized or minimized or give up […]
In early 2016, I wrote a letter to my then ten-year-old granddaughter with ten specific thoughts. It was a spur-of-the-moment sharing, hand-written on simple lined “school” paper with holes in the margin, around which I drew little flowers. She asked me to hang onto it for her and I took it out, and reread it, […]
Ubuntu is the South African concept of lifting others up, affirming their value, and being genuinely joyful that their lives are good. It means “humanity”—being aware that we are part of a bigger picture; knowing that we all suffer when others are oppressed. We are not isolated but, rather, joined in our humanness. It does not […]
Part 1 I woke up this, first day of spring, morning from a bad dream. Thankfully it wasn’t a full-blown nightmare—I have those too. This dream was about being in a terrible accident and waking up paralyzed; my mobility forever at the mercy of a wheelchair; my way of life abruptly halted. In the dream, I was frantic, […]
Three is a powerful number. The Greeks had The Three Graces—beauty, mirth and elegance. In Christianity, three is The Trinity—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And, from a numerology perspective, three is connected to inspiration, kindness, compassion, energy, and joy. In my reading, I come across a lot of “threes”: beginning/middle/end heaven/earth/waters past/present/future examination/elimination/re-creation thought/word/deed […]
How often do we give ourselves permission to “be”— to walk past the “to do” list, to ignore the insistent demands of technology, to take the time to be fully with others, or ourselves or God, to be okay, to simply be? One day, when I had no scheduled client appointments, I chose to let the […]
We often have a myopic view of the world, which limits us from “seeing” outside our own—frequently very limited—life. This narrow perspective leads to behavior that can be anything from inconsiderate to downright mean. We get so caught up in our reality that we don’t “see” how we sometimes behave. I truly believe that “nice” is underrated. I also believe […]
January 16, 2017 a note to God: Hi God, It’s a New Year. The last one flew by faster than the previous ten, and much faster than the twenty before that. The first thirty—well, they seemed to meander slowly; like a lazy river taking its time, enjoying the scenery. I know, that as we have more […]
Many people—who have never spent a day behind bars—live in self-imposed prisons where they intend to serve out life sentences. Sometimes that’s because they’ve committed a heinous crime and, although not “found out”, they know what they’ve done and choose lifetime penitence. Some have been imprisoned by the words of others, when they’ve been told that […]
The sky was blue and gray and white as I was driving this morning. Clouds hung in the atmosphere as if suspended by invisible wires. The sight was breathtaking and humbling simultaneously. It truly felt as if I was going to drive right through a giant canvas painted by the hand of God. If we […]
Living Intentionally is a journey made of choices. Each of us will define that journey differently (because we’re different). If you could fill a bowl with words that describe the life you want to live, what would they be? When I do this exercise these are some of the adjectives that I want to put before […]
peace full home®—intentional living 