MSI Press Blog

  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 ...

Readers' Favorite awarded 5 stars to Weekly Soul by Dr. Frederic Craigie. Jamie Michele writes: Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful and Peaceful Living by Frederic C. Craigie Jr., Ph.D. is a non-fiction motivational guide that offers a distinct and fulfilling purpose under the umbrella of twelve uplifting themes. Each week opens with a quote that corresponds with the message provided for contemplation in the days ahead. This is then followed by a soulful fleshing out of the main theme that allows a reader to connect with the overall message. After this, the weekly episode gives points of reflection for the reader that are to be carried through the week to elevate the experience with an awareness that we might not otherwise employ. Finally, the weekly chapter ends with an introduction to the referenced author. It took me a few minutes longer than normal to figure out how to impart Weekly Soul into my life as the book has a unique format from others in the medita...

Today's meditation from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Dr. Frederic Craigie. -34-   Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted--a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.   Harold Kushner   Blessings abound. Some tap us on the shoulder or stare us in the face. Some, we take for granted. I remember going with my dad when he bought his first brand-new car, a 1961 Dodge Lancer. He asked the salesman whether cars now all came with heaters. This was a serious question, and the man did not laugh. The answer was “yes” although cars did not come with radios and our AM radio receiver was an optional extra. Now, we roll down the road in a cabin with all the comforts of home. Concert quality sound. Precise temperature control, whether it is ra...

Today's meditation from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Dr. Frederic Craigie. -23-   When we make a place for silence, we make room for ourselves. By making room for silence, we resist the forces of the world which tell us to live an advertised life of surface appearances, instead of a discovered life—a life lived in contact with our senses, our feelings, our deepest thoughts and values .   Gunilla Norris   Silence is a rare and precious commodity. It is rare because the world is filled with the sounds of modern industrial and commercial life. Unless you live in the Great North Woods of Maine or other similarly rural place, it is hard to escape the background din of motor vehicles. Your grocery store, your big box store, your local restaurant—all typically have background music that is so subtle and pervasive that you may hardly notice it. Like many people, you might have a radio on in your house ...