Gather the Good

When he first entered the hospital, he’d been identified as a “DNR” patient—do not resuscitate. It seemed like a natural path to choose, given his advanced years, his declining physical state, and his dementia. The decision had actually been made a couple years ago, and that was a good thing. After all, who wants to make that choice while in the throes of a health crisis? But now that we were there, the strength of that conviction was wavering. Ten…

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The news was bad. I should have realized it was bad when my sister made an unexpected siblings conference call. And especially since she did it just one night after our Easter family Zoom session. Moments before, she’d received a call from the assisted living facility where our dad resides. The staff had heard his cries for help and discovered him lying on his bathroom floor. An ambulance trip to the local hospital. X-rays. A fractured left hip. Another ambulance…

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A note from Nancy: When I wrote the following post, we were living in a different time. We’d heard of the coronavirus, but we only knew it from a distance. Now, this deadly virus has taken hold in nearly every corner of the world.   Because of the pandemic, our lifestyles have been altered significantly. What has not changed, however, is our basic human need to show love to one another—not just to those in our inner circle, but to…

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“Why don’t you set aside your ‘to-do’ list from time to time?”a spiritual adviser recently suggested to me. “Try focusing less on all the tasks you want to check off. Instead, make more of an effort to listen to your inner voice, and just do whatever inspires you in the moment.” I understand the idea is to merely “be” and let life unfold spontaneously as it should. If I could quit trying to “do” so much, I might have less…

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“May I have your attention, please?”the voice over the loudspeaker announced. “Very soon we’ll begin boarding our flight from Sacramento to Denver. But first, folks, I’d like to introduce a special guest traveling with us today.” At that point the gate agent introduced the youngster next to her, a darling girl wearing a tiara. We learned the girl and her family were headed for a Disney cruise, compliments of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I’d noticed the group of family members earlier….

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I acknowledge I have addiction problems. My issues are not with alcohol or drugs. No, my addiction is to technology—television and all my other electronic devices.   Compared to some, I suppose, I don’t watch a lot of TV. Still, it is turned on, at some point, every single day at our house. I’ve gotten into the habit of watching it nearly every evening after dinner. My computer? I use it daily. There’s email, Facebook, recipe websites, weather updates, shopping…

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Sound the alarms! There’s no time to lose! The world seems to be spinning out of control with craziness. We can ill afford to waste another minute. Let every able body—man, woman, and child—step forward now with unwavering resolve and courage. It’s time to put everything we’ve got to give to end the hatred, division, and violence. Indeed, this is a call to arms! We’ve all got to use the arms we have in every way we can with every…

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Occasionally I would invite guests to come to the detention center and speak to the students. I liked to expose the kids to people and perspectives they might not have encountered. The focus was generally on atypical careers or hobbies. Usually they were avocations that didn’t have overwhelming education or certification requirements. My hope was the students would enjoy the person and the topic and that they would see a slightly bigger view of what the world had to offer….

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In our family it’s a well-known fact: I like to talk. I can talk with almost anyone—and I do. Once I get past my initial shyness, I start chatting. Before you know it, I’ve fallen effortlessly into yet another long and meandering conversation.  Although I enjoy conversing and getting to know people better, I admit my chattiness could benefit from a little discipline. Practicing mindful speech might be the best way to make that happen. There is incredible power in…

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It began as a pleasant evening at home. But with one act of tenderness it quickly became a cloud nine kind of night. On a recent Saturday, my husband and I were relaxing at home, hanging out with the dog and watching television.   When my phone rang, I realized it was a FaceTime call from my son. “What?!?! Why does it always happen that he decides to FaceTime when I’m looking my worst?” That was my first thought.  …

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