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A Grain of Salt Posts

Seeing as a Seven Year Old

When we lived in Hawaii, I wanted to connect better with each of my children. We lived in military housing in a beautiful pre-WWII neighborhood full of blooming plumeria, hibiscus, and towering royal palms. I would take them one at a time for a walk around the block. As a young parent, I tried too hard to squeeze something meaningful into the time, and often my questions weren’t born from curiosity but trying to drive…

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35 years of Graces

When I was young, I didn’t give much thought to marriage. I set my eyes on school and the Navy. While stationed in Rhode Island, I found a friend willing to risk deeper conversations with me. I recall one conversation with my friend, Tina, that served as a guiding, grace-filled word to my unfolding future. She asked me what I wanted in a husband. I thought about it and quickly answered. At the time, I…

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Food for thought

What inspires you? Recently, I traveled with two friends to Williamsburg, Virginia. We traveled there to spend three days together imagining and planning for the future of the nonprofit leadership work we crazily love. One of the restaurants we lunched in was named Food for Thought. We found the perfect place for women who share a combined 60+ years of training adults and students to communicate their ideas. The décor featured pictures of inventors, scientists,…

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Finding Space

During February, I was on sabbatical from the work I do with the Institute for Cultural Communicators. Last year, I dipped my toe into a silent retreat practice with a 24-hour retreat and wanted to do an extended version this year. I traveled to a retreat center in Massachusetts to experience a five-day silent retreat. In my church and ministry circles, the idea of a silent retreat seems little discussed. I remember one dear friend…

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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,…

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Experience Glory

I invite you to take the time to enter into an experience – a personal Olympic story. Watch and imagine that it’s your sister in lane three. People lean overhearing your discussion and join you in cheering when they realize your sister is stepping up to the blocks. Imagine the feeling of being family in the stands. Feel the anticipation and hope build as you put yourself in the colossal crowd buzzing with excitement all gathered…

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