The world lost some wisdom last week. Maya Angelou died. I want to become a wisdom gatherer. I love to interview people who can speak/write about their experiences in a reflective and universal way. They have nuggets of knowledge, perception, and hope for the rest of us struggling souls. They are the Mayas of the world. The mentors we all hunger for - the astute Ammas and the insightful sages. Glennon Melton wrote about this in Huffington Post last week in an article well worth reading called “Find Yourself a Maya.” She concludes: “Join the procession. Find yourself a Maya to follow and Be a Maya to the woman marching behind you. ‘When you learn, teach.’ That's how Maya taught us to keep our mighty, sacred sisterhood rolling on. And while you march, remember: ‘You are a child of God. Stand up straight.’ -- Dr. Maya Angelou” When our Texan friends visited last week, we drove them about an hour from here so Kathy could visit with her childhood friend. When we arrived … [Read more...]

I heard the expression a few years ago: DRIP – we are “Data Rich, Information Poor.” Our world is surrounded with noisy news and shallow interactions filled to the brim with devious data, multiple words, conflicting studies, meaningless gossip and useless nonsense. The Barna Group conducted a study last year about three trends about the information age. 1. People feel modern life is accelerating and becoming more complex. DUH! I don’t think that is surprising and explains our longing for simplicity. “The increasing digitalization of life, economic pressures, the disintegration of the family, shifting moral mooring and many other factors all contribute to this shared sense of cultural acceleration.” 2. People want to be culturally informed but they are becoming accustomed to skimming content. I just mentioned on Tuesday's blog about living shallow today. “Consumers want to be informed and clearly there is no shortage of available information. In fact, millions of … [Read more...]

I love Ted Talks. If you haven’t discovered their wisdom in 20 minutes or less, please explore their varied issues. You won’t regret it. I listened to one the other day by Ric Elias. He was a passenger on the plane that hit birds and endured an emergency landing on the Hudson. “The Miracle of the Hudson” it is rightfully called. In his talk he lists the “Three Things I Learned when My Plane Crashed.” How’s that for a wild title? He no longer postpones things; he no longer tries to be right; he chooses to be happy and his only goal in life is to be a good dad. I wondered if I found myself in the same predicament and hopefully lived to tell about it, what would come to my mind? I think I would regret the time I waste. I am not upset about times of rest and reading and just vegging with friends – I need more of that. But time I chose to hid in my office (exactly what I am doing right now to be honest) instead of being with my hubby. Of course he is just watching television but … [Read more...]

Artist and storyteller Brian Andreas creates amazing, fun and inspiring drawings and words. I invite you to explore his work on his web site: StoryPeople. I have two of his prints, full of colorful whimsy and several of his insightful books. They always make me pause and smile and remember what is really important. Here are a few words of wisdom from him: I've always liked the time before dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be, so it's easier to remember who I am Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life. I spent a long time trying to find my center until I looked closely one night & found it had wheels & moved easily in the slightest breeze, so now I spend less time sitting and more time sailing. I am not being paid to endorse him; I just like his work and wanted to share. What new artist/writer have you discovered lately? … [Read more...]