InSpiritry

“This is where I get most of my negative thinking done.”

New Yorker cartoon of a woman showing buyers her home office

Economically and environmentally, for Americans the past three years have been difficult, at best. Even those whose jobs were secure and finances healthy have felt the impact: government cuts to essential programs, neighbors who had to sell their homes, friends who were unemployed, new carcinogens and ever worsening global warming. Worst of all, the nightly news reminds us how bad things are. All that in addition to our personal  challenges.

In times like these, optimism is hard to summon. The cartoon I quoted above is not far from the truth — we often get so trapped in worrying that we can’t do Good Work! (more…)

“My world began on the way to school.”

As small children, our first experiences of the world beyond our families were at school – and even before that, on the way to school. Carrying our lunch box or our book bag, some of us walked through our neighborhood with our parents or friends. Others rode their bikes. Many of us boarded a big yellow school bus. A few of us were driven to school in cars.

What do you remember about walking or riding to school? (more…)

“We Want This Organization to Make a Difference

in the Lives of …”

Our generation has seen a blossoming of groups of people coming together to make the world a better place – so many of us want our lives to matter! (more…)

“Don’t discourage anyone who is making progress, no matter how slow.”   Plato

This has been one of those weeks when I have been busy all week, but the stack of unfinished projects on my desk suggests otherwise. While I had every intention of completing the items on my to-do list, I set many of them aside to do other things. I took on new commitments and attended important events. Mostly, I gave time to relationships and met several new friends, so it has been a good week. (more…)

“It was time to make a move.”

Drawers emptied. Boxes stacked. Truck packed. Address changed. Friends hugged. Map ready. Heart uncertain.

Moving from one place to another is a universal experience. (more…)

This weekend I went to see the new movie based on Elizabeth Gilbert’s New York Times best-selling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. It follows a young woman’s classic New Age search for personal fulfillment, as she leaves her angst-ridden marriage, takes-then-leaves a lover and travels alone to Italy, India and Bali. Along the way, she re-examines her ideas about the pleasure of food, the way to enlightenment and the difficulties of relationships.  

While enjoying the story, I left the movie theater struck the character’s self absorption and by our general American sense of dissatisfaction, including about religion. (more…)

“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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)