The age-old angry question is, “If there is a God, then why do horrible things happen?” A new movie, The Shack, based on the book by William P. Young, goes further. “How does one get past unspeakable tragedy and relentless pain?” The Shack is a visual parable that answers both questions. Mack Phillips (actor Sam […]
I am in Vietnam where Americans are warmly welcomed. Odd. I’m 62 and I recall TV images of brutal jungle warfare. From 1964 to 1973 about 2 million tons of American bombs were dropped. As a teenager, I learned about napalm and Agent Orange. Most of all, I remember the anti-war protests. Apparently, so do […]
[Photo taken in 1973 of Suzette and her father, Steve Martinez, who passed away in 1982.] Lately memories of loved ones, now gone, are tinged with “I wish I told them [fill in the blank].” Recently, I had the chance. A meditative exercise is designed to heal the unsaid with direct conversation. I tried it […]
New school and work schedules surge forward. Goals. Deadlines. Kids. Get involved. Socials. Volunteerism. We go from the sunburn of summer to the burnout of busyness that fall brings. A question nags, “Am I ever enough?” Arguably, women are more apt to wonder. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that in 2014, 83% of women […]
Labor Day marks the last summer hurrah for families. Parents of out-of-town college kids teeter on the edge of an empty nest. Tears, goodbye hugs, bittersweet farewells. Separation and full adulthood take a leap of faith. I’m talking about parents. My daughter, Star, is 42, so it’s been years since she drove away to make […]