Posts

Aliveness

Image
  What Does It Mean to Be Alive? Not “to survive.” Not “to function.” Not “to keep going.” But to be alive. It’s a question that slips past the medical charts and the calendars. It doesn’t ask how many breaths you’ve taken. It asks whether you’ve felt them. To be alive is not just to exist. It’s to respond. To notice. To choose. It’s the difference between a body and a presence. Between a schedule and a soul. Aliveness is not performance. You don’t have to be busy, productive, or impressive to be alive. You don’t have to be cheerful or strong or “doing great.” You just have to be here. With your senses open. With your heart engaged. With your mind not numbed by habit or fear. Aliveness is not constant. We drift in and out of it. We lose it in the rush. We find it in the quiet. We forget. We remember. Sometimes we feel most alive in grief. Sometimes in laughter. Sometimes in the moment we stop pretending. Aliveness is a practice. It’s in the way you greet ...

Tip #36 from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents: Parent-Teacher Communication (McKinley & Trombly)

Image
  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #36 Communicate with the Teacher, Too!   Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you .~Ralph Waldo Emerson               Keeping up good communication with your child is essential, but chances are you will find that it may not be all that you need. Situations will surely arise that require talking to the teacher. Don’t ever let this intimidate you! Your child’s teacher wants what is best for her students and therefore wants and needs to know your questions and concerns. If you have a few quick questions, perhaps jotting them down in a note or email would be the best approach. Chances are, conferences or a curriculum night are just around the corner and in-depth questions can be brought up and answered then. Teachers appreciate written communication becaus...

Publisher's Pride: Books on Bestseller LIsts - An Afternoon's Dictation (Greenebaum)

Image
    Recently,  An Afternoon's Dictation  (Greenebaum), reached #92 on the Amazon bestseller list of books in ecumenism Christian theology. The book has been on bestseller lists many times.  Book Description:  In 1999 Steven Greenebaum felt he'd hit the wall. Fifty years old, he could not make sense of his life or the world around him. For several months he angrily demanded answers from God, if God were there. One afternoon, an inner voice told him to get a pen and paper and write. Steven then took dictation - three pages, not of commandments but guidance for leading a meaningful life.   An Afternoon's Dictation  grapples with, organizes, and deeply explores the revelations Steven received and then studied for over ten years. His sharing is NOT offered as the only possible way to understand it the dictation. It is offered, rather, as a start. The book's sections include deep explorations into "The Call to Interfaith," "The Call to Love One Another,...