Skip to content

Category: Communication

Am I listening?

I struggle to listen. I have spent years reading, teaching, and practicing active listening, but I still struggle. Some friends would claim I am a good listener, but I know my inner struggle to attend and listen. This struggle showed up powerfully on a recent visit to my 91-year-old mother. My mom, Maxine, is declining. She no longer can link my name to her memory, but when I walk in the room with my husband,…

1 Comment

Facebook is Faster than the DMV

Recently, I finished a bike ride on my nearby trail with Gary on a Friday. I have to overcome the grousing that often shows up before the ride. It’s so cold. I’m so tired. The wind is too strong. I am confessing that I complain before I ride. The bike ride took care of that interior critic. I was happily climbing in the van when I realized my driver’s license was gone! I can only…

4 Comments

Prepare the Way

Are you already starting to breathe heavily and sigh at the approach of Christmas decorations invading store aisles? Has the looming pronouncements of supply chain shortages have you worried about getting your Christmas gift shopping done without delay? Personally, my own resistance to getting sucked into the rush and overwhelm is to honor Advent. Practice a pause to honor the season of making room in my heart for Christmas without adding any more pressure to…

Leave a Comment

Does Anyone Iron Anymore?

In honor of my mother’s 91st birthday, a reflection on laundry. For most of my mother, Maxine’s childhood is a mystery. We could never get my mom to talk much about growing up in Quincy, Illinois. She was a depression-era baby born in 1930 and didn’t enjoy dwelling on any tale of difficulty or pain. Most of us conclude her silence meant a difficult time. However, Mom was quite ready to tell us about her…

2 Comments

Monday Meanderings

3 BIG questions  Fuller Youth Institute Anam Cara by John O’ Donohue Holy Post  Fiddler on the Roof

1 Comment

Don’t Miss It

I have worn glasses since the third grade. When I was finally prescribed glasses, I met the standards for being legally blind. So I appreciate seeing clearly. Seeing for most of us is just what we do without thinking. Easy and effortless, no?  Every night my husband Gary and I have a nighttime routine. This routine is so familiar to us that we automatically go through the motions. We get on our pajamas, we brush…

1 Comment