I needed a poke in the back. I always thought my father’s lack of attention was benign. However, my dad never said, “I love you,” and rarely interacted with us. After work he’d head to his bedroom to eat and watch the Mike Douglas Show alone. But really, compared to addiction, womanizing or cruelty, my […]
Once upon a time, in what feels like a galaxy far, far away, faith was about love, compassion, protection, and building each other up. Those things create a quiet, personal righteousness. But now a loud, public righteousness is fueled by anger with no room for forgiveness or redemption. Passover and Easter symbolize the power to […]
Can you overcome your upbringing when raising your own kids? Josephine Martinez, came from the Philippines and was a stay-at-home mom all her life. She gave me an enduring sense of God’s goodness, which is ironic since she suffered from severe religious guilt. Fortunately, she didn’t raise us in the same way. Excessive self-blame is […]
National Love your Pet Day is February 20. Whenever I hear the rant-filled bullying of our public discourse, why doesn’t my dog Ginger wear a bright red vest emblazoned “THERAPY DOG”? During the vicious storms of division, where’s MY thunder coat? Ginger is my teacup in the tempest. That dog makes me laugh despite my being […]
We are in a new moon phase entering the third decade of the 21st century and I’m relieved to see 2019 in my rear view mirror. Perhaps I’m not alone. Now it’s time to assess the hurts, disappointments, betrayals, and plain bad luck of the past year. Why? Because I’m packing for a new decade, […]