I am grateful to the people who have given me honest feedback about my book. One of the things that several people suggested to me is that kids might be more inclined to pick up the book if it had a more engaging cover than the simple one I started with. So after polling a few trusted advisors, I decided… Read more →
Wrestling
Wrestling and struggling in my brain. Trying to figure things out. Like mud wrestling, my intellectual thrashing coats everything in sludge so I end up with a muddy frustrating mess. But when I am with someone who knows and loves me, it’s like a gentle summer rain has come and washed the mud away. My head clears, and I know… Read more →
The Power of Reading
I am a volunteer tutor at the Dane County Jail. I have been working with a young man for about four months now, and he is a bright spot in my life. When Kevin was in public school he was identified as a special education student. He never finished high school. He’s been in and out of the criminal justice… Read more →
One Small Thing
I am sometimes overwhelmed by the world. War, terrorism, hatred, racism, violence, child abuse, hunger…so very many ways that people cause pain to each other. I am left feeling helpless and hopeless. I wonder if the small, seemingly insignificant things I do matter at all. But each day I have choices to make and so does everyone else. Will my… Read more →
Gratitude
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on our lives and give thanks for what we have. We Americans are very fortunate to have the “happy accident of our birth.” This phrase was a favorite of Fr. Frank Gilchrist, my parish priest for about 12 years. I met Fr. Gilchrist when I returned to the Catholic Church from which I had… Read more →
We Are Afraid
Fear alerts us to real danger and triggers a response to protect ourselves and our loved ones. But how often do our prejudices trigger the fear response when there is no real danger, or the potential risk of danger is actually very low? Fear cloaks our own light. It blinds us to the light in others. But illumination chases darkness… Read more →
All the ways to love each other
My friend Jim was 32 when he was diagnosed with AIDS. That was back in 1991, when AIDS was still a deadly, scary mystery. My dearest friend Lynn and I became lifelong friends with Jim when we attended an upstate NY community college in 1976. He was tall, dark, and handsome with a very deep voice, amazing smile and infectious… Read more →
Finally…
Next to me is a copy of The Place Where Love Lives. It is amazing to me to see it in print, this labor of love that I started so many years ago. My hope is that this book will help us to see that we, the people of the earth, are not so different. And that we will share… Read more →
Priorities
Two broken wrists and more than two years later, I am almost done with my book. It’s been an interesting, exciting, frustrating and fulfilling journey; spiritually, artistically, and emotionally. When I broke my dominant wrist shortly after I began this journey, I learned about patience. And now, with my latest injury, I’ve learned about priorities. Though I planned to spend most… Read more →
Excitement mounting!
I am so excited about the progress I’ve made in the past month. I’ve completed about half of the first draft of the book. My trusted advisers have given me great feedback. I’m hoping to work steadily during the month of May to complete the first draft. I love the little people I’m creating. Their faces remind me of my… Read more →