Archive for the ‘InSpiration’ Category
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”
John F. Kennedy
This summer marks the fifteenth year my husband and I have lived in our home. It seems like just yesterday we were moving in and finding a place for everything. Our adult children were just youngsters then, excited about their new rooms and big shady yard. As we carried in a steady stream of boxes, they ran in and out, claiming this space as their own. On that first day, I remember my husband Mike and I embracing in the middle of our living room, imagining the memories we would make here, so much of our family’s future stretching out in front of us. (more…)
Posted in Best Self, Commitment, Gentle Heart, Community, Anne McCrady, InSpiration, InSpiritry, Family | 4 Comments »
Monday, May 24th, 2010
School’s Out for Summer!
If you have young people in your life, you know what makes the last week of May special: it is the end of the school year. University students have finished their exams, high school students are handing in final projects and elementary students are enjoying relay days and field trips. In classrooms everywhere, there is excitement in the air: for the next twelve weeks, no homework!
And it’s not just the kids who are excited. Parents are happy too. (more…)
Posted in Change, Memories, Relationships, Gentle Heart, Celebration, Best Self, InSpiration, Personal Health, InSpiritry, Spiritual | 1 Comment »
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Celebrate the Earth!
Forty years ago today, millions of Americans gathered in huge and glorious celebrations across the country to say: We Care about the Earth. It was a monumental event that by year’s end led to the establishment of the EPA, and ultimately the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and the wise notion that, as stewards of our natural world, we can’t let profit come before the precious blessing of the Earth.
This week as I watched the PBS special, The History of Earth Day, I was reminded of one very special early Earth Day celebration— (more…)
Posted in Nature, Celebration, Holidays, Anne McCrady, InSpiritry, Family, InSpiration, Environment, Spiritual | 1 Comment »
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
The thrill of last minute victories.
Excruciating spills on the ice and downhill.
Poetry in motion – on skis, skates, snowboards.
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…)
Posted in Best Self, Celebration, Commitment, Courage, Greater Good Thinking, America, InSpiritry, Anne McCrady, World, Events & News, InSpiration | 2 Comments »
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 »
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 »
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
For everything there is a season,
And a time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
It is time for another changing of the season here in Texas. This weekend, the trees are lofting their colorful leaves onto each breath of breeze. This is the time of year that always gives me pause for reflection. Spring has its sense of urgency. Summer is full of activity. Even Winter brings holiday festivities. But Autumn? As Nature’s growth slows and we gather with family for Thanksgiving, Autumn seems to be the time of slowing down, of thinking things over and of assessing our lives and loves. (more…)
Posted in Nature, Best Self, Celebration, Forgiveness, Greater Good Thinking, Anne McCrady, InSpiration, Writing, Greater Good, InSpiritry, Story | No Comments »
Friday, October 16th, 2009
Jazz is the sound of God laughing.” Colleen Shadox
With a week of drenching rain finally over and an autumn chill in the sunny air, I decided to open all the windows this morning to celebrate the changing seasons. At my laptop, as I write this post, a gentle wind is dancing through the turning leaves and rustling the limbs. It is just enough to set singing our several sets of windchimes. Each one is tuned to a different pitch, and we have hung them in various spots around our yard. The result is that, on days like today, the air carries a veritable symphony of music: round-toned moans, cheerful harmonies, bright staccatos. Listening with my eyes closed for a minute, I feel moved to tears then to laughter then to peace.
A believer in prayer and worship as a constant condition, I realize that if the sound of my windchimes stirs my spirit, I am hearing sacred music! That idea sets me thinking about the many kinds of sacred sounds in the world we experience as holy, and every culture has its own beautiful traditions. (more…)
Posted in Music, Nature, Celebration, Anne McCrady, InSpiritry, InSpiration, Environment, Greater Good, Spiritual | 7 Comments »
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
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…)
Posted in Celebration, Best Self, Wisdom, Compassion, Problem Solving, Change, Courage, Commitment, Greater Good Thinking, World, Peacework, Spiritual, Social Issues, InSpiration, Politics of Possibility, InSpiritry, Greater Good, Christianity, Events | 2 Comments »
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 »
