Gather the Good

It’s happening again! Something I read a few years ago has been regularly resurfacing in my mind. From previous experience I’ve learned those thoughts are not likely to go anywhere until I give them some attention. And because the timing now feels so right, I’m ready to put in the effort. In one of his books, Father Gregory Boyle references Julian of Norwich, who said that the truest and most authentic spiritual life was one that produced three things: awe,…

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He first appeared in our lives 20-plus years ago. It was as we were building a new home in a small, neighboring community. During construction, my husband and I, along with our two young boys, frequently drove out evenings and weekends. We wanted to check on the progress and to do our part of cleaning up the construction site. That’s where he showed up. He was a friendly towheaded 6-year-old, full of vim and vigor, an undeniable impish gleam in…

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A short time back, my three sisters and I spent an evening together via Zoom. One of them kicked off the conversation by asking, “How’s everybody doing?” “I’m fine!” I answered immediately. Funny how, when the question was posed, we all seemed quick to default to that pat answer. Even so, none of our responses sounded very convincing. Compared to many others, I am truly fine. I have no serious health concerns. I have a comfortable home, plenty to eat,…

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Tap-tap-tap. I rapped lightly on the driver’s window. The glass lowered, and the driver peered at me, a puzzled look on her face. I spoke directly to her passenger, the young widower who’d just exited the church following his wife’s funeral. They were preparing to go to the cemetery for the burial. Although I knew his four young children were seated behind him in the minivan, my focus remained fixed solely on him. “Hi Nolan*. I’m here on behalf of Robert,”…

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He started coming to my home when he was just 5 years old. Every week he showed up for a half-hour piano lesson, usually accompanied by one of his parents. For several years I taught piano in the evenings after my regular daytime teaching gig at the detention center. So many great memories from that period! All my piano students were wonderful. I enjoyed their distinctive personalities, and I loved watching them progress and evolve. The thing that stood out…

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Molly K. Martin is a dear friend of Nancy’s who found a way to gather and share the good, even around great loss. Experience her stories. “Steve, I’m headed outside to set up,” I call out to my husband. It’s 7 p.m. on June 23, 2016. On beautiful summer evenings like this one, Steve and I move to our patio to enjoy the outdoors. My cell phone rings. It’s my daughter-in-law of almost eight months, Stacey. “Molly, is Steilyn with…

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One of my beloved sisters just celebrated a special birthday. Approaching a milestone five years ago, she’d made big plans to spend it with her husband and children. When Mom passed away suddenly just a couple weeks before the anticipated celebration, all thoughts of party plans fell by the wayside. The focus shifted to grieving and caring for our father. A quick five years later found this same sister at the door of another significant birthday. Again, she’d hoped to…

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A small band of elastic on my wrist keeps me from letting tough times get the better of me. It helped me – for the most part – break a dark habit that gripped me for decades. From both her website and mindset, Karla Freeze peddles positivity. I’m so grateful she does. My first Refocus Band is one of her favorites. On one side, it features the bright colors of her Positivity Place logo. The other simply says, “Positive Attracts…

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Thoughts about something I read keep worming their way into my mind. It was presented by a character in a story, a Buddhist monk. He was encouraging his Protestant brother-in-law to release his attachment to all experiences. He suggested letting go of the ties to successes as well as failures. It’s not hard to see the harm caused by negative experiences weighing you down. But successes? What’s wrong with clinging to their memory? Couldn’t there be some benefit from replaying our triumphs when we…

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By Judie Henry, July 2019. Judie is a dear friend of Nancy Kidd’s through their mutual love of the written word. Kitty came into my life when I was about 5 years old, a gift from my parents. She is knit with gray yarn, 10 inches high, and she wears a timeless red and white polka dot dress with red rick-rack trim, and she’s blessed with an ever-present, loving smile.  She has made all our moves with me, from Minnesota to…

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