michael

There’s a story that comes out of Africa – that I’ve heard told a number of times – which is often the case with important teaching stories.  In the old traditions, they have a way to insist on being told.   This is a story that the elders of the tribe make sure to teach

Backstory When preparing my August Newsletter, recalling as a 27 year old foreign exchange Summer in Nuremberg (southern Germany) a long forgotten memory emerged, that I set aside for a separate sharing. That was 1958 – just 13 years after the Allied forces defeated Germany, ending World War II in Europe.  My host family, the

On the Church Sign in front of St. Jude’s Church in Fenton, our Priest-in-Charge added a few months ago, “Wish Noah had Swatted Those 2 Mosquitos…” The Lowly Demon Mosquito I’ve heard from experts (those folks who spend their life studying these things – at least before DOGE), that in a world where almost every

Backstory In the Summer of 1958, before my Senior Year in high school, I had the privilege of being chosen as a Summer exchange student under the American Field Service – itself forged from American non-combatant battlefield ambulance services in two World Wars. I was to spend the summer living with a German family in

OK, for this one I’m putting on my semi-religious/spiritual writer’s hat. First, some backstory. My father was a Methodist minister.  My mother the daughter of a minister, who became a Methodist when they emigrated from England.  So, as a child, they taught me to pray before bed.  That was many years ago, and my only

This concept has been bouncing around in my head for a number of years, with no memory where it came from.  I believe it was from some writer with a philosophical frame of reference.  However, over the last year, it has emerged as a guiding metaphor, initially in conversations with clients about the mystical nature

From a few Story-Tellers with ancient roots that I’ve experienced (and emulated), I’ve heard the following type of preface: “I carry this story within me, resting next to my heart.  And now it asks me to share it with you, that it may rise within me into my mouth, and my tongue will give it

This is a difficult time for so many right now.  Many don’t know what to believe, who to trust.  Many don’t know what to do.  Many don’t know what to do to survive, to feed and care for their family, their future, their well-being, their mental health.  Those of us in the mental health community

Part Two in a series on Countering Aggression Lying as Aggression My working definition here of lying is A conscious corruption of reality by the spoken word – and therefore, is an aggressive act, even if accidental, and even if the intention is unconscious.  The Mirror Last month, I wrote about using the power of

Part One in a series on Countering Aggression Backstory Many years ago, when my children were “just kids,” I wandered into our living room where they were watching Saturday Morning Cartoons.  I decided to sit and watch since it wasn’t a regular part of my being-at-home regimen.  Here’s what I saw: In the front was