"Runners, to your starting gates!" With Halloween a thing of the past, and 'leaf slush' pretty much every where you step, it's not hard to imagine that in a few more days, the smell of roasted turkey will fill the air of American kitchens. It will be preceded, however, by...

"We touch the future based on how we interact with and what we model with our children." Michael Mendizza

Part 2. After interviewing 40 children, (36 in the first group, and 4 more this past week), I came to a frontier beyond what Art Linkletter dubbed "Kids Say the Darnest...

We love our children. We'd do almost anything to support their happiness, enjoy their smile. In fact, many of us have been so busy doing everything we can to give them what we believe they need, we might have overlooked the input kids are giving these days. And, yet, the...

Are you, or those you love, at risk? Who do you know who's living half-heartedly? What about you in the past 48 hours at home, work, and in your community? Are you aware that doing so places you at higher risk of a heart attack? Yes, it's true. Not only...

Each of us has deep and equal value. No surprise here. It's when we lose connection to this reality, however, that the trouble starts. Add to that, the mistrust. Think about it. If you do not know that you are more than enough, 'as is,' the need for posturing is...

Dogs are dogs. Cats are cats. Monkeys are monkeys. Nurses are nurses. Engineers are engineers. Children are children. Right?

Exceptions to the Rule. Well, maybe. My family's experienced some exceptions. We've had dogs who think they are people in fur suits, at least by their behavior, and cats who lick...

"...I am on my own journey/battle with forgiveness...and I find it very difficult. I feel as if I have reached a standstill. ...perhaps there is a dead end in terms of how much forgiveness you can offer a person sometimes, while still remaining true to how you feel....I am confused,...

"The only thing to fear is fear itself."
-F.D. Roosevelt

It's everywhere. Here's a few of the expressed fears I've heard over the past few days: "When will the demand for more troops to Afghanistan end? What if Ahmadinejad keeps heading in this direction?" "How many terrorist...

"Where I was born and where and how I have lived is unimportant. It is what I have done with where I have been that should be of interest."
-Georgia O'Keeffe

It's unclear whether it was today's news, or the enjoyment of the theatrical production of "Wicked,"...

Just putting the names Ted Kennedy, Michael Jackson, and Buddha in the same title might seem like quite a tossed salad. In a way, it's true. And, yet, I wonder. Each and every day we face a kaleidoscopic set of stories in the news. You'd think they're unrelated. Maybe they...

"If it weren't for the fact that he died, I'd like to kill him! Can you imagine leaving us in this mess?" Amanda, a widow with three little ones under tow, was reeling from her 35 year old husband's sudden death. Apparently, Jack reassured his wife repeatedly that he'd handled...

"These town hall tirades and guys carrying guns outside them 'because they can' are driving me crazy," Marnie told me during her consultation session. "They push my 'can't-stand-conflict' button, big-time! I want to run but can't. This is the world we live in."

A few hours later, Norm, a...

Sometimes, it's just when you can least afford to take a break that it turns out to be the most necessary. If you are anything like me, you've heard a number of people this year, (maybe even yourself,) say something like this: 'We could really use a vacation this year,...

Here's the truth. I was headed for a vacation this week, to give my back some more corrective rest after the great train mishap last week. But, as the week evolved, the governmental spin-doctors have been so busy with their twist on the news, that I simply could not live...

Dr. Cara Barker

All I can say is 'what a week!' I don't know about you, but mine has been pretty much a kaleidoscope of sounds, events, sensations. Monday, we heard President Obama build a bridge with the Chinese, who are increasingly becoming our landlord, while in Alaska Sarah Palin's...

As I sit down to write you, my computer's 'mouse' is scampering about, seemingly with a mind of its own. First here, then there, the mercurial thing is going all over the place. Not unlike the twists and turns of stories in the news these days.

Last night, the...

"....in those times, it was human to be inhuman. And now the world has learned, I hope.... There must come a moment -- a moment of bringing people together.

... Memory must bring people together rather than set them apart. Memories here not to sow anger in our hearts, but...

"...I wrote...for the next generation so they know that we did everything we could to
create a better future for them...this...is dedicated to tomorrow's children..."
Neda's sister, the day before public death

A Foot in Both Worlds. We can become so comfortable with where we are...

How wise the body is! As the 7th floor L.A. Radisson Hotel doors opened, I walked smack into a conversation some women were having about "...how terrible that Susan Boyle's been hospitalized..." So often there's the assumption that if our body or psyche needs attending, then this is a 'bad...

You just never know. We just never know the powerful impact we have upon others by claiming the freedom to express who we really are. It is said that the miracle of our greatest acts are never known to us. Especially when these acts come from full, open-hearted expression!

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