family/friends Archives | Healthy Spirituality https://healthyspirituality.org/category/familyfriends/ Nurturing a vibrant healthy spirituality Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:27:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 The Way of Friendship https://healthyspirituality.org/the-way-of-friendship/ https://healthyspirituality.org/the-way-of-friendship/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://healthyspirituality.org/?p=8964 Friends light my way. Way is my word of the year and I have been pondering how to best live this word, how to learn from this word in all its various meanings, and what helps me find its deeper kernels of wisdom. The news has been carrying articles about how lonely we are as […]

This post The Way of Friendship was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/the-way-of-friendship/feed/ 2 50 Years! https://healthyspirituality.org/50-years-2/ https://healthyspirituality.org/50-years-2/#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://healthyspirituality.org/?p=7758 50 years ago on July 15th I married my hubby. A partnership with no regrets. Lots of love and challenges. Ups and downs. Joys and unforgettable moments together. I don’t feel old enough to be married this long – love must keep you young. I love you more today than ever before. And I would […]

This post 50 Years! was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/50-years-2/feed/ 20 POOF! 50 Years Later https://healthyspirituality.org/50-years/ https://healthyspirituality.org/50-years/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2021 11:01:00 +0000 https://healthyspirituality.org/?p=7353 50 years ago – March 1971. I bet some of you reading this may have been alive then. Do you remember March 1971? I do.  A significant event happened, but at that moment I never realized that this was a turning point in my life. Even you, my younger friends, have experienced a meeting, a […]

This post POOF! 50 Years Later was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/50-years/feed/ 10 Who Are You? Insights from the 2017 Readers’ Survey https://healthyspirituality.org/who-are-you-2017-readers-survey/ https://healthyspirituality.org/who-are-you-2017-readers-survey/#comments Tue, 14 Nov 2017 12:00:30 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/?p=5930 Who are you?  You are part of the Healthy Spirituality community and a record number of you took the time to fill out this year’s readers’ survey. Thank you so much. As you read this blog, you get to know me, my story, my flaws, my quirky life. But unless we write in emails, talk […]

This post Who Are You? Insights from the 2017 Readers’ Survey was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/who-are-you-2017-readers-survey/feed/ 9 How to Recognize the Unseen Heroes in Your Life https://healthyspirituality.org/how-to-recognize-the-unseen-heroes-in-your-life/ https://healthyspirituality.org/how-to-recognize-the-unseen-heroes-in-your-life/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2015 11:00:03 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/?p=3802 Ever suddenly realize the heroes in your life? Who they are? That they were there all the time and you never really notice? Or maybe you did see them, but unexpectedly the gratitude of their presence overtakes your heart and you know this relationship is something special and priceless. We just returned from a wonderful […]

This post How to Recognize the Unseen Heroes in Your Life was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/how-to-recognize-the-unseen-heroes-in-your-life/feed/ 2 Wise Lessons from a Four Year Old https://healthyspirituality.org/wise-lessons-from-a-four-year-old/ https://healthyspirituality.org/wise-lessons-from-a-four-year-old/#comments Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2013/06/13/wise-lessons-from-a-four-year-old/ I witnessed a wise lesson from a four-year-old last Sunday. Kyla, lower right corner, with friends making crafts My granddaughter, Kyla, celebrated her fourth birthday with a huge party. Both adults and kids attended. All the elements of a grand festivity took place: welcoming guests, playtime, craft, opening gifts, blowing out the candles while singing […]

This post Wise Lessons from a Four Year Old was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/wise-lessons-from-a-four-year-old/feed/ 9 The Blessing of the Lord https://healthyspirituality.org/the-blessing-of-the-lord/ https://healthyspirituality.org/the-blessing-of-the-lord/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2011/10/25/the-blessing-of-the-lord/ The blessing of the Lord be on you. Psalm 129:8 I cried last Saturday.  In fact, tears dropped for over an hour. You see I held him as a baby, clear back in 1983. I cried then too. One day, full of self-pity in the midst of post-partum depression, I told the Lord through my […]

This post The Blessing of the Lord was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/the-blessing-of-the-lord/feed/ 11 Sometimes Life is Two-riffic https://healthyspirituality.org/sometimes-life-is-two-riffic/ https://healthyspirituality.org/sometimes-life-is-two-riffic/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2011/07/19/sometimes-life-is-two-riffic/ We Interrupt this Blog for an Important Announcement. . . Life interrupted my routine this week. Life  interfered with all my plans. Life stopped me in my tracts to behold a wondrous phenomenon. As Albert Einstein once said: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. […]

This post Sometimes Life is Two-riffic was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/sometimes-life-is-two-riffic/feed/ 12 Priceless Friendships https://healthyspirituality.org/priceless-friendships/ https://healthyspirituality.org/priceless-friendships/#comments Tue, 17 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2011/05/17/priceless-friendships/ Friendship – I have been thinking a lot about that word this year. The etiology of this word comes from Old English combining obviously the two words – friend and ship. Friendship is the deep, close, trusting relationship between people traveling together on the same journey, on the same ship.  No matter how difficult or […]

This post Priceless Friendships was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/priceless-friendships/feed/ 10 God’s Response https://healthyspirituality.org/gods-response/ https://healthyspirituality.org/gods-response/#comments Tue, 03 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2011/05/03/gods-response/ My world changed on June 5 2009. Kyla Eve Rummel was born, my first grandchild.  I wrote on this blog shortly after that grand day: Did you hear it? That loud whooshing noise last Friday, June 5th? At the exact moment of my new granddaughter’s birth, with her first intake of air, Kyla Eve stole my […]

This post God’s Response was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/gods-response/feed/ 11 People are More Important than Any To-do List https://healthyspirituality.org/people-are-more-important-than-any-to-do-list/ https://healthyspirituality.org/people-are-more-important-than-any-to-do-list/#comments Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2011/02/22/people-are-more-important-than-any-to-do-list/ I spent most of Monday in the hospital emergency room. Not for me, but with my 99 ½ year old best friend, Esther.     Esther, bless her heart, kept worrying about me.   “You are so busy… I am keeping you… Just go… I will be ok… I am such a bother…”  I stayed. Then […]

This post People are More Important than Any To-do List was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/people-are-more-important-than-any-to-do-list/feed/ 9 Sleepless Nights – God Nudges https://healthyspirituality.org/sleepless-nights-god-nudges/ https://healthyspirituality.org/sleepless-nights-god-nudges/#comments Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:45:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2011/01/13/sleepless-nights-god-nudges/ I couldn’t sleep last night. Moving to the front room, I snuggled under the afghan and tried to pray. My scattered mind drifted from the Lord over and over again, a result of crazy schedules and unexpected events this week. Ok, Lord, at least I can thank You for this week. At midnight I rise […]

This post Sleepless Nights – God Nudges was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/sleepless-nights-god-nudges/feed/ 7 The Pleasure of Your Company https://healthyspirituality.org/the-pleasure-of-your-company/ https://healthyspirituality.org/the-pleasure-of-your-company/#comments Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:02:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2010/10/26/the-pleasure-of-your-company/ When you are in love you want to spend time with that person. You let your eyes soak in every move they make, your ears cling to their every sound, and your heart just bursts with joy. I am in love. In love with my granddaughter, Kyla. She whooshed into my heart in June 2009 […]

This post The Pleasure of Your Company was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/the-pleasure-of-your-company/feed/ 9 How do you Celebrate the Firsts in your Life? https://healthyspirituality.org/how-do-you-celebrate-the-firsts-in-your-life/ https://healthyspirituality.org/how-do-you-celebrate-the-firsts-in-your-life/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2010/08/05/how-do-you-celebrate-the-firsts-in-your-life/ Watching a grandchild provides endless life lessons.  I realized this last Saturday when I grabbed the camera to capture Kyla’s first boat ride on Hamilton Lake.  (By the way she doesn’t look too happy in these photos and really wanted a nap instead of a strange bumpy trip on water. She did enjoy the second […]

This post How do you Celebrate the Firsts in your Life? was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/how-do-you-celebrate-the-firsts-in-your-life/feed/ 3 Secret to Longevity: Friendship https://healthyspirituality.org/secret-to-longevity-friendship/ https://healthyspirituality.org/secret-to-longevity-friendship/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2010/07/29/secret-to-longevity-friendship/ Want a long healthy life? Researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gathered data from 148 studies on health outcomes and social relationships. They looked at every paper on this subject they could find. Their research ended up including more than 300,000 people.  What did they find? People […]

This post Secret to Longevity: Friendship was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/secret-to-longevity-friendship/feed/ 5 God Bends Down to Hold the Ordinary https://healthyspirituality.org/god-bends-down-to-hold-the-ordinary/ https://healthyspirituality.org/god-bends-down-to-hold-the-ordinary/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2010/07/13/god-bends-down-to-hold-the-ordinary/ My one-year-old granddaughter, Kyla, has been here the past three days as her parents help put on a new roof on our house.  My duties while they lifted, hammered, and sweated in the hot summer sun?  Babysit!! Now being a good grandma I have a collection of fun and developmental correct toys and lots of […]

This post God Bends Down to Hold the Ordinary was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/god-bends-down-to-hold-the-ordinary/feed/ 11 Celebrating Weddings – Lectio Divina https://healthyspirituality.org/celebrating-weddings-lectio-divina/ https://healthyspirituality.org/celebrating-weddings-lectio-divina/#comments Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2010/07/04/celebrating-weddings-lectio-divina/ I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 (NIV) Today is my son, Brian’s, wedding […]

This post Celebrating Weddings – Lectio Divina was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/celebrating-weddings-lectio-divina/feed/ 4 A Mother’s Tears https://healthyspirituality.org/a-mothers-tears/ https://healthyspirituality.org/a-mothers-tears/#comments Tue, 18 May 2010 13:44:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2010/05/18/a-mothers-tears/ December 1983 I remember when you were two days old. The depths of post partum depression shredded up any morsel of confidence I had as a mother – even as a mom with her third baby. I spent that day crying, overwhelmed by fears. I spent the day rocking you. I spent the day with […]

This post A Mother’s Tears was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/a-mothers-tears/feed/ 11 My Prayer for Wonder and Curiosity – To Have the Eyes of a Child https://healthyspirituality.org/my-prayer-for-wonder-and-curiosity-to-have-the-eyes-of-a-child/ https://healthyspirituality.org/my-prayer-for-wonder-and-curiosity-to-have-the-eyes-of-a-child/#comments Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2010/02/12/my-prayer-for-wonder-and-curiosity-to-have-the-eyes-of-a-child/ Aren’t babies fun to watch? My granddaughter, Kyla, is eight months old. Every week I ask her mother, Katie, what exciting new trick did Kyla learn this week?  Today Katie called to tell me Kyla pulled herself up to stand.  (Wasn’t she just a newborn yesterday? I will turn around and tomorrow she will be […]

This post My Prayer for Wonder and Curiosity – To Have the Eyes of a Child was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

]]> https://healthyspirituality.org/my-prayer-for-wonder-and-curiosity-to-have-the-eyes-of-a-child/feed/ 4 Making Friendship a Lifelong Priority https://healthyspirituality.org/making-friendship-a-lifelong-priority/ https://healthyspirituality.org/making-friendship-a-lifelong-priority/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:00:00 +0000 http://healthyspirituality.org/2010/01/12/making-friendship-a-lifelong-priority/ A friend died last week. After hearing the news, memories flooded me – John installing a ceiling fan with my husband with a “blind leading the blind” type of sit com hilarity and for many years that fan rattled every time they turned it on, early morning coffees together on Saturday morning, solving the world’s […]

This post Making Friendship a Lifelong Priority was written by Jean Wise and first appeared on Healthy Spirituality.

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