Stories & Blogs

Friends and friendship join Joy, Kindness, and Peaceful Living on life’s wheel. As I talk with and meet people or on a social platform, I listen to the challenges of making new friends, going deeper with a current friendship, or losing friends through aging, health, or relocation. There is a touch of spirits unique to…

I began, we began, seeing video of the Pacific Palisades hillside fire and the push of Santa Ana winds on January 7. Today, 12,000 homes have burned with thousands displaced and at-risk for dreams, hopes, and memories to be lost somewhere in the sudden need to flee. Some with a “Go Bag,” others only a…

INSIGHT ON WRITING PRAYERS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY Prayers and Other Notes: There are two mentors I consider personal heroes. The first, my grandfather, who left his east Texas tractor each Friday afternoon then entering a small hut on the side of the barn. He would use two stiff fingers from repairing too many…

Thoughts on Mentors and Mentoring Most of us, whatever age, gender, and background, have become who we are through family, education, and life experiences. In addition, many of us have received guidance and support from one or more mentors. And now, perhaps from our own experiences and elderhood, we can provide the “pay it forward”…

Reflections – Calendars & Seasons of the Year Most of us look at our calendars often, whether iPad, laptop, watch, or one of the traditional paper calendars. Calendars add details to our comings and goings of dates, times, events, and people. My paper calendar helps my elder memory with notes of birthdays, phone numbers, anniversaries…

REFLECTIONS – CHRISTMAS 2024 Most of us live days somewhere between the inspiring restoration of the Norte Dame Cathedral and the heritage story of the birth of a child, a humble manger in a faraway village, pilgrim parents, and travel weary shepherds. In the midst of the annual seasonal blur, we each have an opportunity…

** The numbers and the reasons for the decline in church attendance are well documented. Although the percentage of Americans who have de-churched has grown, the desire of the American public to find and experience a church like community has also grown. These new assemblies and communities tend to be cause centered, with a focus…

** In Paris, Norte Dame has been fully restored from a destructive fire five years ago. Artists and craft persons used historic and new materials throughout the restoration. The language changed from artist/craft persons to Companions, expressing the ownership felt by all committed to returning Norte Dame to France and the world with awe and…

The arrival of Thanksgiving and the coming Christmas season brings the mix of memories, some warm and life-giving, others more difficult. A seasonal truth, for me, would be that both seasons are best experienced and enjoyed in the company of family and friends. Receptions, open houses and dinners are opportunities to tell and listen to…

For this Sunday Letter, I relied on Beth’s notebook of quotes and wisdom sayings. I wanted to shine the light on the Goodness within people and Thankfulness for their lives and teachings given to individuals and families. Sometimes their words guide us to be and serve others. Perhaps one or even three quotes and sayings…