Marking Memorial Day, we reflect with gratitude on those who have served and protected our country from harm and invasion -- honoring our right to freedom, prosperity and dignity. We might also reflect on the service we are all able to contribute from within our borders each and every day. In little and big ways, being of service can be not only of enormous help for others but also deeply … [Read more...]
The capacity to both celebrate and grieve
Ding dong, Bin Laden's dead! Yes, and we in the United States celebrate, of course. In the midst of all that cheering, though, many of us also feel grief. For while our formidable enemy now sleeps with the fishes, the memory of the thousands of innocents he killed still carries an impact of epic proportion. We mourn the dead, reach out to their loved ones and never forget the shock and the … [Read more...]
Why do we mourn celebrities?
There are a few celebrities whose lives and deaths touched us in ways that we can't always put into words. Year after year, as the anniversaries of their passings come around, we take a moment to pause, reflect and mourn the loss of such lives. John Lennon was mourned once again last month on the 30th anniversary of his death -- a day always recalled by radio and the media. Hearing such … [Read more...]
A woman’s place is in the home office
Women at the turn of the century had won the vote, and then in the mid-1940s World War II was over and the nation was victorious. Slowly but surely, women began to spread their wings, enjoying newfound confidence as they entered the workplace. Possibilities for a better life were everywhere. While the stigma of the "little woman" homemaker remained embedded in the hearts and minds of some … [Read more...]
Facebook and Twitter and iPhones, oh my!
In this age of constant electronic communication, we are in danger of something being lost. Our human connections! Take a quick look in the window at Starbucks: How many coffee drinkers are working on their computers or talking on cell phones, shut off from everyone else in the cafe. We're increasingly expressing our feelings via text, email and social networks. Maybe with an emoticon for … [Read more...]