"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44 There are some teachings that feel almost impossible when we first hear them. This is one of them. For many years, I carried a quiet storm within me—resentment rooted in something that had happened in my childhood. It sat beneath the surface like a volcano, filled with layers of shame, blame, and anger. From the outside, life moved forward. But inside, there was a pressure that never quite released unti

“One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds.” Frank Zappa There is a certain truth in these words that can feel both limiting and liberating at the same time. If we cannot change someone else’s mind, then where does that leave us when we long to see more love, more kindness, more peace in the world? It brings us home… to ourselves. While it may be true that we cannot force

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” Warren Buffett What if we knew the impact our actions would have many years after we make them? There is something beautifully humbling about this thought, isn’t there? There is power in looking at the fact that every decision we make impacts others in some way. To realize that what we do today—every word we speak, every action we take, every kindness we offer—has a ripple that extends

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 There are so many times in life that I pray for rest. Moments when my body feels tired, yes—but even more so, when my mind and heart feel overwhelmed. It is often in those times that I realize I have taken my eyes off the present moment and placed them somewhere far beyond my reach. I find myself caught up in the noise of the world—stories that are not mine, problems I cannot solve, si

"Home is the nicest word there is." — Laura Ingalls Wilder Today I sat and enjoyed being engulfed in nature energy in the place of my childhood years. I grew up in these Appalachian mountains right here in this neighborhood where my sister still lives. Across the street and up the hill, I can see what remains of my parents’ home—a structure that once pulsed with laughter, lessons, and love. The roads here know my footsteps. The landmarks whisper stories of who I was and how

"The secret is not to find the meaning of life, but to use your life to make things that are meaningful." — James Clear There are moments when something simple catches your attention and opens the door to deeper reflection. Today, it was an email—one of many that fill my inbox each day. Most are passed by with little thought, but this one asked a question that made me pause: “are we being mind controlled?” At first, it may sound dramatic. Yet, when we look a little closer

“If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.” Thomas Jefferson We did not come to Earth to just sit around and do nothing. We are here to stretch ourselves, to be challenged, to live. In life we face many situations where we make choices – some life-changing, some simply out of need. I believe we have an agenda of what we want to discover and uncover. We may not know the minute details, and that is okay, but we know th

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy There is something deeply comforting about speaking the words “thank you.” They feel complete, like a bow tied neatly on a moment. Yet, if we pause and sit with this quote, we begin to sense there is something more being asked of us—something deeper, something lived. Gratitude is not just a fleeting expression; it is a frequency. It

“The long and winding road that leads to your door Will never disappear, I've seen that road before It always leads me here, lead me to your door.” The Beatles I know the road well that leads to my sister’s house. I have traveled it many times during my life. The first eight to nine hours of the drive went by uneventfully with light traffic and my favorite singer serenading me in between my favorite author being read on audio. I had been warned already about rain and storm

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi In meditation recently with my friend Ruth, we each focused on a desire. Without hesitation, I said that I would love to have a more intimate walk with Jesus. I want to know more about what he experienced while on Earth. It was my agenda in going to Egypt to feel where some of the historical figures walked and hear the language they used. I experienced this as I visited a church i