Speaking of Spirit

  Thursday is our Day of Thanks but the next day was the epitome of consumerism – Black Friday. In addition, stores start vying for customers with Christmas sales and what I call the Season of Gimme, Gimme starts. How can we break this cycle?  Tecumseh, the Shawnee Chief said, “When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living.”  Giving thanks helps us to count our blessings and realize the richness of our lives.  When I do spiritual counseling, I often recommend that people begin Gratitude Journals. Over the years, there have been a few folks who have commented on how keeping a Gratitude Journal has helped them realize how blessed they are, in spite of various hardships and traumas.  Working with immigrants and refugees, being involved in several nonprofit organizations, I am acutely aware of just how privileged we are. Even with all the up and downs of the economy, ...

  With the  passing of March 20, the Northern Hemisphere melts, quite literally, into the spring season. From what once was frozen and dead, "springs" forth with life. Waters that were frozen run full tilt to the sea. Fields that were black with death, resurrect in shades of green. Skeletal trees and bushes suddenly burgeon with green buds.  The spring observances, rites, and rituals around the world all celebrate this return from the brink of darkness and death to new life. The Vernal Equinox, or First Day of Spring, was for our ancient ancestors a time when the gods and goddesses of fertility and rebirth brought the world back to life.  Many know of Eostre or Ostara, the goddess of spring and of Brigid, Celtic goddess of Fire, Hearth and Home, but few know, unless you happen to come from these parts of the world, of the Slavic god, Jarylo  or Eiar, the goddess of spring from the four seasons' horae of ancient Greece.  Regardless, even those who have no c...

  “There is a spiritual hunger in the world today - and it cannot be satisfied by material things alone.”   Adlai E. Stevenson, the renowned statesman and ambassador to the United Nations, had a deep spirituality. The quote above is as true today as it was when he first spoke it in his 1956 Democratic acceptance speech. The world still has a deep and unquenched spiritual hunger. Why?  I believe, as Stevenson did, that our priorities are in the wrong places. Too many of us are striving for a better life through material things. However, new cars, bigger houses, the latest technical gadgets and closets full of clothes cannot fill the emptiness in one’s soul. Since COVID, this emptiness has become more apparent due to the lack of things to occupy our minds.  Many of us have never sat alone with ourselves. How do we fill the emptiness? What can we do as we head into the eighth month of this pandemic?  For me, natural beauty of any kind fills my heart and soul ...

  Norman Rockwell [Public domain] This Thursday, people across the US will sit down with family and friends to celebrate the holiday we have come to know as Thanksgiving. Besides all the preparation going into cooking, many families enjoy the day by watching the traditional Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, while others might bundle up for a rousing game of football played at the local high school. Still others might be enjoying the pro ball found on cable.    Thing is, this is the Norman Rockwell version of Thanksgiving. While I really enjoy Rockwell's work, I believe he did us no favors in portraying this day as completely blissful. For many, it is far from the idyllic scene he painted. So, as those of us who will enjoy the day with family and friends sit before the bounty on our tables, let us think of those who will not be celebrating with us. Whether through death or distance, hold those whose chairs stay empty on Thursday in your thoughts an...

  As I sit typing this, I can hear the marching cadence rolling off the brick walls of the high school as the bands leave for the annual Memorial Day parade and services. For the first time in a long while, I am unable to attend, not because the weather is bad, it is a gorgeous day out, but because the pain in my body is at the scream level. So, rather than deplete my limited resources more, I opted to stay home and write. With over 65 years of accumulated life experiences and wisdom, there is one thing I know, absolutely - Freedom isn't free.  In my family alone, there are hundreds of men and women who gave their time, their energy and their lives to allow us the freedom to have a day off. What saddens me is that too often the purpose of this day is forgotten in the opening of cottages, the barbecues, the beach parties.  In the last twenty-five years, I have seen fewer and fewer young people come to honor our fallen military members. But what is worse, fewer and...