The other day I was talking with a dear friend and we each shared about the hard pieces in our lives. As she let some tears flow, she asked me how I kept from crying when I was sharing prior…

Some years ago I was in a very complicated, vulnerable situation and needed support to discern my next steps. A dear friend of mine was trying to help me foster connections that could bolster me as I found my way…

All throughout our lives we learn how to get along with others who don’t see things the way we do.  We might be taught to “agree to disagree,” or to “live and let live,” or to simply avoid topics that…

I often read from an Al-Anon book called “Courage to Change,” which has daily reflections of insight and encouragement.  In one of the messages for this week, a writer (anonymous) shared how nature is a great role model for staying…

Empathy: “The capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position.” (Wikipedia) Empathy comes in different forms — emotional (appropriate responses to others’…

Currently I’m reading, among several other books, “The Universal Christ,” by Richard Rohr. In it, he distinguishes from the historical person of Jesus and the concept of Christ, which Rohr establishes as God incarnate in everything throughout all time —…

This time of year, when the sun is hot and warm breezes sway the trees, I am reminded of a particular June I lived in 2006. I distinctly remember being at a cemetery, walking across the open field, to pick…

The other day I called my brother to check in and catch up. When I asked, “How are you?” he replied, “Do you mean when I’m in uniform or when I’m out of uniform?” My brother is a lieutenant police…

A few months ago a confidant of mine gave words to a dynamic I know to be true. It was a very useful insight for me, though simple and somewhat obvious. He shared how harmful it is in our relationships…

The other day I was talking with a friend about some profound ways I have seen people love… the kind of love that hurts, the kind when the cost seems too high, the kind that stands on the line between…