A Tremendous Antidote for Despair.................. 1/30/21

 

Two are better than one, for they have a rich reward
for their labor.  If one falls, he has another to lift him
up.  But woe to him that is alone when he falls, for
he has not another to lift him up.  

       Receiving ama-zing---beyond belief---support from others infuses us with dynamic energy.  Oxytocin created by the strong bonds shared with others feels fab-ulous, a naturally produced tonic.  It provides a sense of peace, balance, and

Overcoming a Ghost From the Past, Revisited 01/22/21

         An unwelcomed visitor dropped by on a sweltering sum-mer day.  He star-tled me, making my heart feel like it does when sprinting up a hill.  

        It was a long time since his last visit.  He was an un-wanted visitor I hid from as a child, when he dropped by.  His presence awakened, once again, a sick, empty feeling in my stomach.  At least, initially.

Pivotal Day ..... 1/6/21

    Today is a big day.

    More than 30 years ago, on this day, I changed the course of my life.  I am happier because of the choice I made.  I remember this moment as if it happened yesterday. 

     On this day I did the Third

Ending the Year Positively......... 12/31/20

 My Gratitudes:

1.  For living.  It is wonderful still being vertical.  Because of the pandemic, we can't take this condition for granted any longer. 

   Let those dear to you know you love them.  Tomorrow isn't guaranteed for them or us. 

2.  Today, I enjoyed time with two people who are a part of my bubble.  It met my need for connection, communication and closeness. 

Closing Out the Year 12/31/20

       The New Year is upon us.  It could not come soon enough.  Seeing this year in the rear-view mirror gives us perspective. 

What We Are Learning: 

1. We cannot take

My Third Favorite Christmas Story, Revisited........... 12/31/20

 

WWII photo of the Ardennes Forest

       A Happy New Year, I wish for one and all.

        The following I wrote years ago. I post it during this season:

********

        I hope life is treating you well. For many, this Christmas season was frantic, materialistic. 

        Needn't be so. 

Thoughts on the Christmas We Just Celebrated........... 12/31/20

Taken from my favorite Christmas book,
The Christ Child, Iilustrated by Miska and
 Maud Petersham 

     I hope you had a Merry Christmas. 

    What is Christmas?  Nope, it isn't about gifts.  It's about one Gift, Christ.  This holiday is about God's incarnation, dwelling among us, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:14)

    Thank you, for journeying with me this year.  I appre-ciate your visits.  Inspired and cheered, is my hope, each time your drop by. 

The Second Favorite Christmas Story.. 12/31/20

Innkeeper's Note:

   How are things going for you? I'm exhausted, experi-encing Covid fa-tigue.  My work ramped up when the pandemic hit this world.  

   Many I see are afflicted with anxiety, depression, grief, and suffering from the loss of their normality. Gone is meeting with friends in person, no more hugs, and plenty of isolation, along with confusion, fear, and frustration.  

   I'm leaving a Christmas story written for this inn.  It is my second

An Overview of Codependency, Revisited ........... 12/13/20

"I have been young, and now I am old; yet
 have  I not seen the righteous forsaken, 
nor His seed begging bread."  Ps. 37:25

“When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is
missing in his or her humanity.A person can almost
be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude.”
        Elie Wiesel

A Provision Perspective that Promotes Peace 
     In this weak economy, many are anxious about financial security.  Neither our income nor our job is the source of our provision: 

Moving Beyond Our Painful Past, Revisited.............. 12/10/20

     I love seeing clients get better.  They learn how to handle a tyrant that lives within everyone during our time together.  Our default mode.  

    This unhelpful pattern shows up when we are stressed. Our limbic system activates this default mode, created by our reptilian mind, the non-cognitive part of our brain. It is the source of our felt sense----which makes us feel alive, frightened, or elated. 

     It is startling, realizing we mostly live throughout life with beliefs created in childhood by the part of our mind that does not think.  Yes, that is insanity, but we do.