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Bonds That Are Never Broken
During a recent conversation with a widowed friend, I reflected on some of the unexpected roles we may inherit upon becoming widowers. One of which I hold especially dear is being the curator of my wife Robyn’s and my love. Often, we are accused of deifying our loved ones after their death. In many cases,…
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Life Is Best When Lived In Pencil
Life is best when lived in pencil. Life is best when we accept and adapt to ournew realities. Life is best when we embrace the fact that our lives are not over. Aportion and chapter of our lives has ended, however, there is more to go. Life isbest when we realize we can be restored…
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Thoughts for the New Year
Rudyard Kipling, in his book Bridge Building, says, “Never look backward, or you’ll fall down the stairs.” This statement, in the context of his book, inspires serious philosophical and existential questions related to the duality between science and the spiritual. Still, it also evokes a fear of looking back at where so much of life…
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Winter Rain
It’s December in St. Louis, Missouri. Winter has arrived. With the winter comes days of winter rain. In years past, my wife and I actually enjoyed days like today (when we did not have to get outside). I’d light a fire. We’d make some tea or coffee, and just be together. Many people find days…
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Legacy
My wife, Jan, was a teacher for twenty years. At that time, I knew many of her students and was well aware of the tremendous impact she had on them. She taught “gifted” kids at the middle school level. Many of her peers marveled at how much she loved to teach this age group. Part…
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Why?
This brief but powerful question has crossed our minds or been voiced out loud in this journey we have come to know as grief. Whether your loss came without warning or resulted from a long and protracted illness, why is a question that has or continues to cross our minds? Asking this all too familiar…
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Photographs
Recently while driving, I heard the song Photograph by Ringo Starr. As Ringo stated many years ago, he and George Harrison wrote that song together, but it took on a new meaning for Ringo after George’s death from cancer. As I listened to the song’s words, I heard that haunting line, “All I’ve got is…
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Game Plan…for a Better Tomorrow
The end of the year can be a tricky time for many people. The current state you are in may, at times, give way to the propensity to judge your entire existence by your present circumstances. Among the many teachings, I have been affected by is Dr. Eric Stoltz’s teaching “The Adversity Quotient.” When I…
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Courage at the Crossroads
My dear brothers, recently, I found myself experiencing another visit to an all too familiar place, “the crossroads.” First, let me give you a little background about how I choose to navigate life. I strongly believe in the practice of dividing my life into three distinct silos, my personal life, my spiritual life, and my…
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Autumn Leaves
In some of my previous articles, I mentioned how I was a member of some cover bands during my teenage years. It was the sixties. Growing up in Nashville, the influence of country music surrounded me, yet it did not interest me. I was a big Beach Boys and Beatles fan (among others). Yet, to…
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