An ancient Roman writer once said "I have often regretted my speech, never my silence."
I confess that has been a hard lesson for me, personally. Once, when someone asked me "Why do you talk so much?" I responded "Because the sound of my voice comforts me!" As a big smile came on both our…
One of the human parables of every human culture on earth is the warning against pride. As the scriptures declare " pride goes before a fall."
And it seems that each human tribe has a multitude of stories that prove that truth over and over again. Once such story from my own Southern family was…
I am blessed to be one of several trained First Responders through International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC - www.iocc.org) Frontliners Team. And, in training to be a First Responder in the field of emotional and spiritual care to victims of disasters, we learn some very valuable insights about caregiving and the dangers of caregiving. But…
"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence." This quote by Henry David Thoreau is beautiful. But I have a problem with it since it seems to suggest that any path will do as long as it's your own path.
To be sure, we are each free,…
"No life is a total waste. It can always serve as a bad example." I'll never forget when my best friend first shared this bit of wisdom with me. I was really down because someone that was suppose to be a positive influence on me was anything but. And I was disappointed, scared, and, frankly,…
Let's face it; learning the lessons of life the "hard way" is our default position as humans. Oscar Wilde said that "Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes."
And yet, we don't seem to learn from our mistakes very often. Over and over again, we revisit some bad choice either until it…
What's the best way to improve society? Change the person or change the society? There was a day in America when the common understanding was to change the person and society would improve, but nowadays it seems that many think that fighting to change society means addressing society's faults rather than the faults in the…
I love it when the Church gives us these Old Testament readings! And the reason is because too many of us misinterpret the word "Old" for "unnecessary." And nothing could be further from the truth!
In fact, if Truth is true then it's true no matter when it is revealed. But the "chronological snobbery" of…
An Optimist says the glass is half full; A Pessimist says the glass is half empty; A Realist says the glass has water in it; An Opportunist drinks the water while the other three are arguing!
Let's face it; life is complicated and perspective makes a difference in practically all situations in our lives. But…
Ok, so it's a pet peeve of mine. This whole notion of "fairness" strikes me as a cop out and a danger. Precisely because fairness is so important AND so illusive.
But why? Why does fairness always seem to be just outside our grasp? Why do we hear so much about it and see SO…