“Assume a virtue, if you have it not.” William Shakespeare My husband, Dave, and a very good friend, Jim, coined the word ‘otherly’ a number of years ago. Essentially, it’s about retrieving the lost art and practice of noticing. It’s about intentionally caring for others: asking someone how they’re doing and listening and it’s about…
Tag: christmas
Game of Thrones and Christmas
I started watching The Game of Thrones HBO series a few months ago. It’s violent, mythical, full of sexual content, intriguing, mysterious and full of war. Someone told me that the first episode, first scene, is the most violent but if you can get past that then the story and characters draw you in. Well,…
On remembering and being present with Mary Oliver
“This is the lesson of age – events pass, things change, trauma fades, good fortune rises, fades, rises again, but different.” Mary Oliver A friend of mine introduced me to Mary Oliver’s writing a number of years ago. Her words watered a languishing seed of hope within my spirit that was in deep need of…
On Rumi and Entertaining
When I was younger, between the ages of two through twenty-ish, my parents did a lot of what was affectionately known as ‘entertaining’, particularly throughout the Christmas/holiday season. My Dad was an accountant and my mom stayed at home with my brother and I. Christmas was about parties at our house, mostly involving my Mom…
Hope in the darkness
“I have seen too many stars to let the darkness overwhelm me.” Macrina Wiederkehr. Yesterday I heard about a friend who was recently, suddenly, and unexpectedly diagnosed with what may be a terminal illness. Another friend is currently undergoing chemotherapy and yet another, navigating through the world of medications in hopes to control a disease…
Monday musing at the beginning of this Christmas season
Christmas and I have a complex relationship. There are some aspects that I love about this season: meals with my family, hanging out with friends, putting up decorations, and our Christmas Eve tradition in which our kids (well 2 are now technically adults and one teen) drag their mattresses from various locations in the house…
Sharon Richards 