Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. What typically would be a household full of friends is this year instead an intimate gathering of us and the dog:) We’ll still cook all day, have a 3pm toast with the neighbors on our block, and will also begin our day with our annual Family TurkeyContinue reading ““Appreciation can make a day — even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” Margaret Cousins, Suffragist”
Category Archives: Song
“May these remarkable times bring out the best in all of us.” Rachel Maddow
To what end? I find myself asking that question quite a bit these days and months. I recently purchased Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live. I understand that it examines the Covid-19 impact through 2022 and beyond. With that in mind, I have been praying for, and reflecting upon, mental and spiritual sustenance.Continue reading ““May these remarkable times bring out the best in all of us.” Rachel Maddow”
“We often judge ourselves harshly for what didn’t get done while overlooking the marathon we completed. Look again. With grace.” -Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis
This morning I listened to an excellent Catholic School Matters podcast. My colleague Dr. Tim Uhl interviewed George Couros, an educator, author and thought leader. George provided excellent advice for educators to “Focus on the people you serve. Connection is first. Everything else is second.” I couldn’t agree more from my vantage point as aContinue reading ““We often judge ourselves harshly for what didn’t get done while overlooking the marathon we completed. Look again. With grace.” -Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis”
It is human to yearn for a return to “normal.” Yet sometimes following any disruptive event, a return to normal becomes impossible. What typically emerges from these events is a new normal that is based on what we have learned from that disruption. -Jim Dillon
In Charting a course to a (better) new normal, the importance of dialogue, openness, learning and considering “new rules” to follow are presented as key factors for persevering throughout this continually changing landscape of life today. I mentioned in a meeting last week that I feel as if I am re-inventing myself as a father,Continue reading “It is human to yearn for a return to “normal.” Yet sometimes following any disruptive event, a return to normal becomes impossible. What typically emerges from these events is a new normal that is based on what we have learned from that disruption. -Jim Dillon”
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” -Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
What a week this has been! Time flew by in my household. We spent lots of time focused on learning at home and enjoying the outdoors with activities like biking, hiking and walking, while also attempting to juggle the demands of our jobs. Friday has taken on new meaning now that my family is fiveContinue reading ““Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” -Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg”
“We can look upon the face of anyone or anything around us and say- as a moral declaration and a spiritual, cosmological, and biological fact: You are a part of me I do not yet know.” -Valarie Kaur
This weekend my family played “Reverse Charades” while indoors due to the wildfires. We also enjoyed late afternoon hikes once the air quality improved, thanks to the end of day breeze from the ocean. We enjoyed superhero movies on “Marvel Mondays” during the summer; I had planned to discontinue this practice due to the screenContinue reading ““We can look upon the face of anyone or anything around us and say- as a moral declaration and a spiritual, cosmological, and biological fact: You are a part of me I do not yet know.” -Valarie Kaur”
“I need y’all to do more than just hear me right now. I need y’all to FEEL me.” -Renee Montgomery
This week’s protests by professional athletes have drawn even greater attention to the urgent need for reform in support of racial equity. The African American community in the United States deserves better. Their experience of daily life is an unjust one that demands change. And so I was proud of all my favorite teams- hereContinue reading ““I need y’all to do more than just hear me right now. I need y’all to FEEL me.” -Renee Montgomery”
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger. Something better, pushing right back! -Albert Camus
These words provide me with a welcome source of inspiration today. I have found much of this week’s national political dialogue to be toxic. We are stuck indoors due to the poor air quality from the California wildfires, while my colleagues in the New Orleans area brace for potential hurricane impacts. In Milwaukee, Jacob BlakeContinue reading “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger. Something better, pushing right back! -Albert Camus”
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” -Maya Angelou
Today is the first day of school for my kids. Their chromebooks are set-up and I installed a wi-fi extender at home so that my internet could withstand the numerous daily Zooms. The sense of loss of the in-person experience is offset by the excitement my children have of seeing their friends on their screens.Continue reading ““Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” -Maya Angelou”
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13
I read this passage on a card I received in the mail yesterday. I was struck by how rewarding it was to open a written correspondence. The card was sent to me by a colleague in Washington, DC, and it also felt nice to receive good news from our nation’s capital…for the first time inContinue reading ““Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13″
Keeping the Faith 