What Is Faith?

Faith according to the Webster and Oxford definitions: * allegiance to duty or a person: loyalty. * belief that is not based on proof. * Belief in God or in the doctrines or teaching of religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. * belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit. * complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

How do we arrive at our faith? Is faith something we acquire as we maneuver our daily lives? Is it part of our DNA? Or is it environmental factors that influence us early on? …

Persist

Quiet Persistence, what is it? To persist is to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of actions, especially in spite of opposition. To last or endure tenaciously.

I have lived a life of quiet persistence. A revelation that is just beginning to surface largely because of the shadow work I have been doing through writing, my work in the art studio and witnessing my daughter’s recovery.

Quiet persistence is a way of being that stems from my extraordinary sensitive nature and timid behavior in most social situations. According to some, I have been stoic or aloof when…

Connection/Connect — to join, link or fasten together; unite or bind. To establish communication between; put in communication. To associate mentally or emotionally. To be in harmony with another person, one’s work, etc.

During this strange time in our history when being safe and healthy means keeping physical distances, I have found myself contemplating what it means to connect or be connected. A re-examination of sorts. And honestly, this is a re-examination that has been wanting for quite some time and not just because of a global pandemic.

Why is it there a need to be physically near someone in…

Death: A Part of Our Everyday Lived Experience

When we think of death, we are referring to the end of someone’s physical presence on earth. But as we all know and have experienced, that is certainly not the end of the influence they have on our lives. Their presence carries on a non-physical life within each of us. The memory of them, the guidance they gave us during their life adheres itself to our being. This is how we are able to carry on their memory, their legacy. More importantly, how we are able to move forward with a greater sense of purpose, to live.

The Death of Self

There are a…

Human connection is an energy exchange between people who are paying attention to one another.

How do we transmit or exchange that energy? Is it through the words we speak? Do our gestures, physical contact such as a hug, handshake or eye contact play a part in the exchange of energy? What about music or sharing memories? Is it all of the above?

Furthermore, what makes human connection authentic?

A Look Within

As we all sit within this bubble of pandemic pause, a myriad of scenarios have come to the surface. Most of which involve an acute awareness of self and our surroundings…

Underestimating solitude’s value in a pandemic has revealed much about our fears of self.

Definition of Solitude: The state of being or living alone; seclusion: to enjoy one’s solitude. A remoteness from habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity, the solitude of the mountains.

It is difficult to enjoy solitude when it is forced and feels more like jail. But time and reimagining one’s perspective, is prompting many to realize that forced change is, at times, the only way to change.

Underestimating Solitude: Fear of Self

Fears of solitude has come to roost. What is it about being in solitude that is so…

Apocalypse — A definition

I recently watched a 2015 National Geographic documentary series entitled “Who is God” hosted by Morgan Freeman. His mission was to travel around the world tracing the evolution of the belief in God. He met with religious leaders of many faiths as well scholars. One of many questions he explored was how do religions define the Apocalypse.

The discussions fascinated me. As a non-Christian, I do not pretend to be versed in the bible. From what I do understand, the book of Revelations describes the Apocalypse as the complete and final destruction of the world. …

In my early 30’s I worked with a therapist when I needed help with some relationship dilemmas. At the base of those dilemmas were my unrealistic expectations of others, a common toxic thread in many relationships and daily life. The therapist caught on quickly that avoiding my personal quandaries led me to judge the actions and characteristics of others. My judgements were a mirror of my own denied and undesirable traits. Furthermore, when I was not able to live up to my own standards, I judged others in hopes of raising myself up.

Standard human behavior.

Judgement’s Foundation — Rugged Individualism

The community I grew…