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Letting Your Soul Show
Recently I received an email from a conscientious woman whom I know to be devoted to warming the world in her own special ways. She was venting frustration over this year’s onslaught of holiday greeting cards that felt, well, obligatory to her. To put it in her words “…it concerns me a bit that people are so busy, and/or don’t take the time to write a little personal note.” This made me smile with empathy. We are trained to live our lives a very specific way. I mean that word–trained. I speak to the homes we are raised in, the social circles that support us, the communities and societies that extend out from each…
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Family Relationships: Handle with Grace and Compassion
Three years ago I moved back home to live with my mom. This is may be out of the ordinary for a person in her thirties, maybe not. What was out of the ordinary was the fact that she and my dad were also living together, as roommates, after almost 20 years of being split up. It was an opportunity for me to enjoy the blessings of a two parent home. Wouldn’t it be marvelous if it were as easy as that? The hard reality showed quickly. It was pretty apparent that my dad was still reactive and quick-tempered, at times downright cruel. My mom as result was defensive, cold. These…
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By Starting to Love Within
I was heartened to find an article on this site promoting emotional literacy in today’s young people. Emotional literacy begins when we own the experience of our feelings by allowing them without judgment. To be alive and Internet savvy right now suggests that physical needs—water, shelter, food—are met and likely well-surpassed. Beyond these basic needs, beyond health and education and security, regardless of our economic standing, what calls us now is a push towards emotional evolution. Towards living a daily experience of loving compassion. Emotional Literacy It makes me roll my eyes, just to write it. A daily living experience of compassion? Well if that doesn’t smack of righteousness. I’ve…
