Details

Published: 14 February 2017

Today, as we celebrate Valentine's Day, our thoughts and feelings turn to love and to those whom we love. But do we really understand what that simple, yet powerful word, LOVE, means?

Personally, this is a tough word for me to reflect on since my natural inclination is toward the intellectual pursuits rather than understanding my emotions. Yes, as a counselor I deal with the emotions of my clients, but note what I wrote: "my" emotions. I have no issue in helping others to come to an

Read more: Love As A Passion To Be Pursued

Details

Published: 23 January 2017

Maybe it’s just me, but it appears that anger is the main emotion of our time. Yes, there is kindness, and I do meet people who are not angry; yet, of the people I meet, more display anger than who display kindness. I don't think my experience is abnormal.

In a study conducted a year ago, researchers Okuda, et al. discovered that 7.8% of the Americans they surveyed, 34,000 adults over the age of 18, found an overall prevalence of inappropriate, intense, or poorly controlled anger. That percentage may not seem high, but round out the numbers, and for every 34,000 adult Americans, 3,000 of them exhibit poorly controlled anger. (“Prevalence and correlates of anger in the community: results from a national survey.“ April 2015)

Why is there so much anger? We see it in the streets, in demonstrations, on social media, etc. I have my theories, but the focus of this article is not on the why, or the origin, of the anger. Rather, I write this article on anger from the perspective of mindfulness. In mindfulness we are urged to remain in the moment, non judgmentally. Following that suggestion, I don’t necessarily need to understand why…

Read more: Angry At The World? Use That Anger For Good

Details

Published: 16 January 2017

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes

Today, in the USA, we remember and celebrate the pastor and civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In honor of Dr. King and all he stood for, I created this collage of three of his quotes for us to reflect.

I believe that Dr. King's message is universal, and a call to action for us to live each day in love and justice.

How can each of us live his statements in a concrete way?

Share with us your thoughts.

{loadmodule mod_custom,continue the

Read more: MLK's Message of Love Rings True For Us Today

Details

Published: 01 January 2017

Happy New Year 2017!!  Our expectations of newness for the year upon us is obvious. As I reflect on writing this post I realized that this time last week I gathered with family and friends to enjoy Christmas Day, while just last night I joined with family and friends watching the Times Square ball descend into a new year.  Many events happen in a short time period during the holiday season.  But what does it all mean? As I relax with a good cup of coffee on this

Read more: Our Joyous Expectations of Newness for the New Year