“What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” (Helen Keller) And everyone we have loved deeply becomes a part of us. Which means that it doesn’t matter what you believe about what happens when we die — whether you believe we end when ourRead more
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I’ll never forget the experience of visiting a southern Baptist church years ago. Having been raised with a religion that was very calm and orderly in its services, I enjoyed the lively Baptist service, with lots of joyous singing and clapping. There was a vibrant energy in the parishoners that I’d not seen before. OneRead more
“Consider how hard it is to change yourself, and you’ll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others.” (Jacob M. Braude) Most of you are working on personal change –so you are aware of areas you wish to grow in and are actively becoming your best self. As such, you’ve experienced howRead more
I recently traveled to Sicily where laws are disregarded as often as they are followed. Our taxi driver routinely ran stop signs, cars were left parked in the middle of a busy street, and people drove the wrong way on one-way streets if they felt they needed to. But somehow their society didn’t come crashingRead more
Note from Elise: While I’m traveling for two weeks, I have invited several guests to post their thoughts for you. I think you’ll enjoy their ideas and unique voices. At the end of each post, you can read a brief bio about the guest author. Enjoy! ******* Judy Szamos “A coward is incapable of exhibitingRead more
I would bet that most of you read that headline and interpreted it with a negative connotation…that being full of yourself is somehow bad or undesirable. That’s typically what our society teaches us: that being full of yourself is a negative trait, making you arrogant and selfish, perhaps even narcissistic. But I have a differentRead more
“Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.” (Arthur Christopher Benson) I find it interesting that there are people who go through life saying “That’s just the way I am. I can’t change that. Take me or leave me. This is who I am.” And in all honesty, if theyRead more
Love comes in so many flavors and varieties. When we speak of love, most people think of intimate love between two enraptured souls, but love also encapsulates the love of self, the love of others, love for humanity, and love of life (just to mention a few). (Note: each of these “love” links will takeRead more
…I’m gonna let it shine! (folk song) Recently some friends on Facebook were trying to remember all the verses to this song that many of us learned in our childhood. Most of us only remember the chorus — which is fine, because that’s the important message: to let our light shine. In yesterday’s post, IRead more
A very wise woman and friend of mine once shared the secret to her happy marriage. She said something like this, “Every morning I wake up and fall in love with the man who is beside me. It’s not the same man I went to sleep with. For each day, he has grown and changedRead more
