All lovely things will have an ending - Carl Aiken
As a storyteller, I know that at the close of a story, listeners expect to hear some version of “The End.” Movie watchers are the same way; we wait to leave the theater, until those words scroll across the screen.
Endings happen in our real lives too: a day comes when it is time to move on, to make a change, to leave the theater of a place, a job or even a relationship. But change isn’t easy! It takes courage to end a chapter in our personal story!
What about you — in some area of your life, do you need to say to yourself: The End?
When We Have Courage, Endings Can Be a Blessing!
For More Ideas for InSpired Living, Visit InSpiritry.com
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games have given spectators plenty of drama and delight, as we have watched the world’s athletes compete for gold, silver, bronze and sometimes just the priviledge of being a competitor on the world stage. While the distance of television can’t match the excitement of actually being in the crowd, those of us who have tuned in each evening have shared some amazing moments. (more…)
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…)
He was a Mahatma (Great Soul) and India’s Bapu (Father of the Nation).
October 2 is the birthday of Mohandras Gandhi, political leader, spiritual advisor, social activist and wise elder. Educated and of means, but having experienced the sting of racism while in South Africa, the domination of India by Britain and the brutal violence between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi turned his life to what he called non-cooperation - just saying “no” to injustice. A student of Jesus’s teaching as well as other world religions, he practiced kindness and forgiveness in a sacred endeavor towards the Greater Good. Because of his leadership, people around the world were inspired. In tribute to Gandhi, the date of his birth was designated several years ago as the annual International Day of Non-violence. (more…)
What a pleasure it has been to enjoy Ken Burns’ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea on PBS (if you haven’t tuned in, it’s inspiring!) As I have been watching the nightly episodes, it occurred to me to consider America’s second best idea. I didn’t have to think long; the blogosphere offered a couple of controversies that confirmed my choice. If the Parks are America’s best idea (although I might suggest it could have been our consitutional democracy), then the second best idea is our First Amendment, and in particular freedom of speech. (more…)
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…)
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this…I can take the next thing that comes along.“
Eleanor Roosevelt
While none of us wish for fear–and many of us avoid it at all cost–it is true that we grow from experiences that make us feel afraid. (more…)
