“Every human being has a true genuine authentic self. Trauma is the disconnection from it and healing is the reconnection to it.” Gabor Mate, MD There was a story that made its way around social media platforms about a kindergartener who returned from the bathroom exclaiming, “I pottyed” only his pants and underwear were still […]
I was at Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman Alabama on Saturday selling/signing my book. Sitting at the table next to me was a young author who wrote a book on anxiety. Since our books are in the same genre, it was fitting that we sat together. Seeing the name of our books, some people would […]
I remember the day that I decided to stop being afraid. Even though it was a quiet decision, deeply held within my being, everything shifted. I try to remember what brought me to it but it remains elusive. Maybe it was a shift in tactic; from fleeing to fighting. Maybe it was a mustard seed’s […]
On a particularly crisp Autumn night, our meeting-room filled to capacity. There were no available seats left in the rows of tables arranged together to form a square. We started our meeting with the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things […]
If you are alive and connected to any sort of electronic device, you’ve seen this picture. You’ve heard many arm-chair commentators give you their perception of what occurred on Oscar night 2022. The thing that was so surprising to me was how we, as a people (me included) automatically take sides. It seems to be […]
This thought came to mind the other day… What if each of us is a tiny sliver of a mirror that has been broken? And suppose the image that each and every human, collectively makes up, when put back together, is the face of God? Does that change the way that I view others? And […]
When my husband and I lived in northeastern Ohio early in our married life, we lived next door to a botanist. His wife was an avid gardener who grew up in Trinidad. I wouldn’t really call their yard a yard. It was more like a garden with grass walkways. It started with one bed, then […]
A week before Christmas, I stood before a group of people at Ignatius House in Atlanta, Georgia. Each person there shared the common problem of living with an addiction in a loved one. They were looking for help. They needed hope. I had my entire presentation carefully planned out, but when I got up to […]
Just before Christmas, I led a retreat at Ignatius House in Atlanta, GA. One of the participants offered this compliment for my book, “It’s all in there.” she said holding it up. “There’s Father Ed Dowling and Greg Boyle and Sister Ignatia…” She continued listing many of my teachers on this journey. When I wrote […]