The Beauty of Empathy
Today I realize how important it is to understand and share the feelings of others. In other words, to have empathy. Is there anything more beautiful than sitting with a loved one and expressing your feelings, only to have them understand them and share them with you? Tell me more about how you’re feeling. Help […]
I’m So Glad We Took a Chance on Him
This morning, our little one-eyed cat had a blood clot and died. It’s a very sad day in our household. I’m so glad we could love him all these years. I’m so glad we took a chance on a one-eyed cat with a broken tail. Jack taught our family to love wounded things. He was […]
Catching Words As They Fall
All of a sudden today–right in the middle of daily life (when there’s no time at all)–I sit to write the paragraph I’ve been mulling over for a month. It’s as if it just overflows out of me naturally and easily. I’m just catching words as they fall. Why can’t it always be this way? […]
The Best Learning Environment
This weekend, I learned so much about how to create a great learning environment. I didn’t limit this information to formal classroom settings; I decided I could apply the ideas to my home life and my own life as a student. I want, after all, to remain a great student for the entirety of my […]
When You Learn Your Name
I decide to research my own name last night because I become fascinated by name trends in the United States by decade. I knew my name referred to a Scottish flower, but I never read the legend behind the name. I learn that the cheerful, sturdy Heather plant decorates the desolate and gloomy moors because, […]
Each Time Astonishing
We live on a particularly leafy street. This particular tree sits right in our front yard, and I spy it through my Weeping Cherry every morning. The Weeping Cherry, by the way, still boasts a full head of foliage, and my oldest climbs it to read. One day, she’ll be too big for this. We’re […]
It Was Rigged
This morning, nobody can access the Internet. Since everything, including our phones and television, depends upon this service, we find ourselves stuck with ancient things like books and crayons. We even gravitate to crude tools of invention: ropes and boards. Once outside, I watch my daughters toss the double-dutch ropes over the tree limbs and […]
The Terrible Danger of Efficiency
I’ve had a major life course correction these past few weeks. Imagine the old me efficiently mastering the tasks of the day in a frenzied zeal of productivity. Efficiency governed my life. In fact, I judged the success of each day by how much I could squeeze in. I relished advanced preparation, shortcuts, multi-tasking, checklists, […]
Reverse Mentoring
Today, I’m passing on a wonderful blog post by Jay Lorenzen on “Reverse Mentoring.” He writes about “tapping into the wisdom of the young.” I found this post so refreshing and delightful, especially since I love learning from young people. Enjoy his post here: http://www.myministryminute.com/reverse-mentoring/ Living with flair means learning from the young.
Final Harvest and In-Between Living
I think I’ve picked my last bowl of raspberries for the season. What a great harvest! I think about that lovely routine of gathering all the ripe things in life. The summer and early fall felt so abundant and juicy. But now? I look at all the withered things about the garden. I know it’s […]