Posts – Page 2 – Deepening Our Journey

They Will Never Know…

September 30, 2025

Before I get into this month’s post, there is an important clarification I want to make in regards to the September post based on responses from some folks who follow our post faithfully. Several people commented that they were glad I wrote about this topic because they too are annoyed by people who do not pick up after their dogs! I wanted to more clearly explain what I intended to lift up in the post. It wasn’t about “calling out” the other owners for their behavior or even my anger

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Self Growth Projects

September 1, 2025

I was steaming mad! I had been sitting our “grand dog”, Arnie, while our youngest son and his family were visiting Yellowstone for two weeks and while we were on a walk, I had accidentally stepped in a non-harvested pile of some other dog’s poop! Cleaning that “poop” (my internal dialogue at the time used a different word!) from the treads on my sneakers left me quite angry at someone I didn’t even know! Who was it that didn’t take the time to pick up after their dog? How could

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Community?

August 2, 2025

Recently after attending a concert at our retirement community, I greeted a “newbie” resident on the way out of the auditorium and asked if she enjoyed the music. She said she had. “All of the amenities, programs, dining options etc. are even better than I expected,” she said. “However I haven’t experienced the sense of community I had hoped for.” This caught me off guard and I wasn’t sure how to respond (not a common experience for me!). When this happens, I usually revert to asking a question in an

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Forgiveness

July 7, 2025

“Forgiveness is a reflection of loving yourself enough to move on.” — Steve Maraboli When I read that quote, it immediately jumped out at me and wouldn’t let me go. Even though I’ve dealt with forgiveness in a big way both personally and professionally, I’d never thought about it quite like that before. Certainly over my fifty years as a counselor, forgiveness is something I’ve seen patients struggle with time and again. I’ve been blessed to be in a position to see both the deep and far-reaching ramifications of not

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Exclusion or Inclusion?

June 2, 2025

I came across this statement on a sign a few weeks ago and it immediately got lodged deep in my gray matter and then periodically surfaced in a wide variety of situations and conversations afterwards. The longer I held on to this simple statement and attempted to apply it, the more profound it became! The statement read: At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I included, than included for who I excluded If you have been following my posts for some time you might be

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Stretching Ourselves

May 4, 2025

A growing number of healthcare professionals have been telling me for years the importance of stretching on a regular basis and especially critical as we age. In fact, I have gradually incorporated a few stretching exercises into my daily routine as I have now begun to accept that at some point in this life journey I’m going to start aging! As important as physical stretching is for our body, I strongly believe that stretching ourselves in many other ways is extremely important and beneficial for our mental, relational, and every

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Out of the Mouths of Babes

March 28, 2025

I’m trying hard to spend less time focused on my phone when so much of it is not helpful or healthful, but occasionally a friend will share a posting that proves more than worth the time investment. I received just such a gift a few days ago which began with: “Children often say just what we need to hear!” A group of children aged four to eight was asked, “What does Love mean?” The answers were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have imagined. The winner was a

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Stifling Prejudices

March 2, 2025

When you read the title above, what does it make you think? I chose it very intentionally. I’d like to start with the definition of each word (my longtime readers will know how I love to look up words to get their full meaning!). Here is what my online dictionary said: Stifling — Restrain (a reaction) or stop oneself from acting on an emotion Prejudice — Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. Dislike, hostility, or unjust behavior deriving from unfounded opinions Much has been written

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Why? What Difference Does It Really Make?

February 1, 2025

This has been a potential post simmering inside this bald knot ever since I attended our grandsons’ wrestling tournament a few weeks ago. At ages nine and eleven, Theo and Walter are heavily invested in the sport. Consequently, you can accurately predict where Popo and Oma are most weekends! As I exited the men’s bathroom between matches, an elderly gentleman, I’m assuming another grandfather, approached me with a question, “why are you wearing that thing?” The antagonistic tone he uttered “that thing” was a clue as to how he felt

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