Archive for the ‘Community’ Category
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
“If there is any great secret to success in life,
it is the ability to put yourself in the other person’s place
and see things from his point of view as well as your own.” Henry Ford
As I worked on a poetry presentation this week, I realized that the the ideas I am presenting are not limited to writing — they are, in fact, InSpiritry ideas worth sharing! The workshop I have been developing is a lesson for poets about persona poems. For the uninitiated, the persona of a poem is the person speaking to the reader. In some persona poems the writer assumes an identity other than their own. That persona can be another person, an animal, a place, even something inanimate. In a persona poem, an alternate point of view means using an intentionally different way of speaking, to become that other voice. Enough about literary technique, though; back to my original reason for this post.
What drew me to widen my considerations about writing persona poems was my assertion that “persona poems compel us to consider how it feels to be someone else.” (more…)
Posted in America, Events & News, World, U.S., Greater Good Thinking, Holidays, Compassion, Best Self, Community, Anne McCrady, Literary, Peacework, Social Issues, InSpiration, Politics of Possibility, InSpiritry, Writing, Poetry | 3 Comments »
Friday, January 1st, 2010
2010 – Happy New Year!
Well, here we are. Ten years into the New Millenium. Post 9/11. Post Economic meltdown. Post Bush-Cheney. Several degrees into Global Warming. Several setbacks into Global Cooperation. The backside of the Great Recession. The end of a decade of decadence. Folks, straighten your chair backs, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing; somehow or another, we made it!
So – as we come to the end of this bumpy ride—what’s next for us?
I have no crystal ball to foretell the future, but my hunch is that, like so many generations of God’s people on planet Earth, we are about discover the consequences of having to collectively learn things the hard way!
Here are just a few of the tough lessons in store for us: (more…)
Posted in Consilience, Best Self, Nature, Greater Good Thinking, World, Celebration, Compassion, Holidays, Courage, Commitment, Collaboration, Economy, Community, Science, Politics of Possibility, Healthcare, Peacework, Environment, Creativity, Anne McCrady, InSpiritry, Greater Good, Personal Health, Social Issues | No Comments »
Monday, December 21st, 2009
“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving,
make every day a holiday and celebrate just living. “
Amanda Bradley
On this clear cold day with the sun’s glow waking my winter world, December is a perfect time to enjoy a spiritual lift. The cloudless sky seems to open to heaven itself, and outside my wind chimes are ching-chinging a cheerful song. With sunshine glossing the frost, the trees and birds and rocks and water are rejoicing along with me!
I think about how the month of December is a gift for the spirit, full of holiday cheer and family gatherings. Around the world, it is a time of spiritual celebration: Jewish Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Christmas, the Muslim New Year, and the African American days of Kwanzaa, among others. I like to think about how, in places far and near, the world is affirming that God is good, people are worth loving and life is a gift. (more…)
Posted in Celebration, Wisdom, Compassion, Memories, Holidays, World, Community, Personal Health, Christianity, Greater Good, InSpiritry, Anne McCrady, Spiritual | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
“I love that simple story that ends on a grace note,
and you go, ‘Wow, I’m just happy to be alive right now.’”
Cameron Crowe
We all love a story; here’s a chance to hear one!
As much as the economy needs a boost, the Friday after Thanksgiving can be more than a shopping frenzy (who thought up the frightening title Black Friday for a day people are buying gifts anyway!?). Friday, November 27, 2009, is the second annual National Day of Listening, a day to spend time in conversation with someone you care about! Sponsor National Public Radio and the event’s founder suggest we use the day to each become autobiographers, interviewing people in our lives to document their stories. (more…)
Posted in Best Self, Wisdom, Greater Good Thinking, Celebration, Compassion, Memories, Collaboration, America, Aging, Children, Spiritual, Family, InSpiration, Community, Anne McCrady, Events | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
“Value your relationships.” Barbara Bush
Lately, I have been thinking about relationships and the strength they bring to our lives.
With that on my mind, this week I read an insightful article about “the power of many” in an investment newsletter. As evidence of how personal relationships empower us in the midst of these unsettled economic times, the article noted an interesting custom I read about several years ago in Dan Buettner’s eye-opening book, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest .
The custom comes from the island of Okinawa, where for years people have formed social cooperatives called moai. Essentially, moai are informal groups formed by people who want to count on and cooperate with each other. (more…)
Posted in Greater Good Thinking, Problem Solving, Collaboration, Relationships, Aging, Economy, Greater Good, InSpiritry, Community, Women | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
We all profit if our healthcare system is transformed…
and that profit will not be just financial!
This week in Washington, the hot topic is healthcare. Those with an eye on the cost and scope of expanding healthcare are calling for reform. Those with a heart for medical care as a humanitarian mission are calling for healthcare to be transformed. Most of us, confused and concerned with how to provide healthcare for our own family and others, are somewhere in between. (more…)
Posted in Questions for the Day, Greater Good Thinking, U.S., Events & News, Compassion, Problem Solving, Change, Courage, Commitment, Mission, Aging, Creativity, Politics of Possibility, Marketplace, Healthcare, Personal Health, InSpiritry, Economy, Community, Anne McCrady, Social Issues | 4 Comments »
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
“Poverty, Violence, War, Earthquakes, Floods…all reasons families are forced to live in Third World conditions.”
Last night, a line of dangerous summer thunderstorms raced across North Texas, full of sky-splitting lightning strikes, damaging winds, tornados, heavy rain and hail. As our huge, old trees heaved in the gusts and thunder rattled our windows, we heard a high pitched POP! and then total silence. (more…)
Posted in America, World, Greater Good Thinking, Compassion, Weather, Poverty, Mission, Community, Greater Good, Peacework, InSpiritry, Anne McCrady, War, Social Issues | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
The best part of living in a small town…
Yesterday, I had lunch in Honey Grove, Texas. I was speaking to the Friends of the Library there, a group of 75 people dedicated to supporting the public library in a community of descendants of farming families. Some had lived there all their lives, but many have retired from successful careers to this struggling town of historic buildings and fond memories. My topic was Celebrating Small Town Life — (more…)
Posted in America, Greater Good Thinking, Questions for the Day, Memories, Community, Anne McCrady, Children, Family, Greater Good, InSpiritry, Story | 1 Comment »
Monday, June 8th, 2009
“There aren’t enough days in the weekend.“ Rod Schmidt
It’s Monday. Again. Time to rise and shine, grab a cup of coffee and a bagel and leave the weekend behind. For some of us, this past weekend was full of time with family and friends. For some, it was a chance to hit the lake for fishing. Others enjoyed three days of yard work or home repair or a service project. Lots of us spent Sunday in church and maybe even at a church picnic. Many of us went to concerts or had a night out for dinner or had friends over. Of course, some of us were at jobs that don’t stop on Saturday or Sunday. Sadly, a few of us felt compelled to keep working and worrying and waiting for things to change (you know who you are!) (more…)
Posted in Wisdom, Greater Good Thinking, Best Self, Questions for the Day, Celebration, Community, Anne McCrady, Workplace, InSpiration, Christianity, Personal Health, InSpiritry, Spiritual | No Comments »
Monday, May 25th, 2009
”Regard your soldiers as your children…
look on them as your own beloved sons
and they will follow you even unto death.”
Sun Tzu
Today is Memorial Day. The day for aging WWII and Vietnam vets to polish their medals, memorialize sargeants, call old friends. A day for men and women who fought in Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan to remember their comarades, rub their regrets, wear their honor. Today, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers of amazing young adults lost in battle will dust off portraits of their special heroes, then tell their stories hoping they will never be forgotten. And on military bases around the world, soldiers will enjoy a good meal, shoulder chuck one another in pride, reread love letters, talk to family by phone or online.
The rest of us will mark the day too. (more…)
Posted in World, Community, America, Greater Good Thinking, Compassion, War, Anne McCrady, Peacework, Politics of Possibility, Greater Good, InSpiritry, Events | 1 Comment »
