My memory is often elusive, hiding names or dates I am attempting to recall. And yet, when a random song from the 90s comes on the radio, I can recite every word. Music seems to serve as a powerful mnemonic device. But we know this about music. Consider the alphabet Read more…
Holding a hymnal, standing in a pew, and singing with a congregation is often where I find myself in times of deep loss, uncertainty, or desolation. Not necessarily to change anything or feel comforted by those standing with me, but to sing collectively, to feel the music flow through me, Read more…
In the depths of midwinter in the Northern Hemisphere, the archetype of the Magical Child stirs. Celebrations abound: of a divine child who renews the world, of the light reborn from the longest night of Solstice, and of the threshold between one year ending and another beginning. Each of these Read more…
Spinning and spinning, I hoped that I, too, would transform into Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter’s portrayal of the character in the television series from 1975 to 1979 is etched into my two-year-old psyche. Her armbands still come to mind when I seek protection, and the memory of her transformative spin Read more…
In a sparse room that smells of antiseptic and efficiency, the Physician’s Assistant asks me a litany of questions, marking down numbers and checking off boxes while she collects the data points that determine where I land on the health chart. Once complete, I dare to ask a question of Read more…
“The great and amorous sky curved over the earth, And lay upon her as a pure lover. The rain, the humid flux descending from heaven For both man and animal, for both thick and strong, germinated the wheat, swelled the furrows with fecund mud and brought forth the buds in Read more…
The Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey appears as one with the small rocky island on the coast of Normandy, France. With its spires pointing to the heavens, the buildings look as though they are floating on the waters. The islet is inaccessible when the tide closes in, the ocean fortifying the abbey from Read more…
During a recent wellbeing fair, I attended a mental health workshop on preventing burnout. Surprisingly, I learned that over half of US employees express feelings of burnout, a startling enough trend that companies are working to mitigate its effects. Some time later, while listening to Episode 24 of The Podcast Read more…
On a journey to a cave in the midst of the Belizean forest, I lost my way. Mesmerized by the lush surroundings, I fell behind the procession. I looked ahead, and no one was in front of me. Alone, my heart started racing in fear. I did not know where Read more…
Parenting teenagers is not for the faint of heart. As a mother of two, I try to keep my finger on the pulse of their current experience. Teen angst evolves with the challenges of each generation, and storytelling has a way of providing a window of continuity and comfort into Read more…