Bill McDonald's Newsletter: 'Paying Attention'
From Darkness to Hope
Preface I need to share that in writing under this title, that I am not just honoring the wisdom of the seasons of Nature. I am also experiencing through a struggle of my own. Let me give a thumbnail sketch. Almost two years ago, a local woman, in her late 40s, was involved in an automobile accident, where her passenger, a friend, was killed. Alcohol was involved. It became clear she would be facing prison. Shortly afterward, she asked to become my client. And so before her sentencing, I had
My monthly newsletter, “Paying Attention,” was launched in April, 2007. Each one contains thoughts and ideas that occur in the general areas of psychology, culture, or other matters that come from the interface between my work and the rest of the world. They may also contain news and information about myself, and new areas of my work, study and research.
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From Darkness to Hope
Preface I need to share that in writing under this title, that I am not just honoring the wisdom of the seasons of Nature. I
Reaching Across – My Response to the Election
It’s been a week now of frantic post-mortems, almost ad nauseam. Many more than Baskin Robbins teasing a diabetic with its multiverse of flavors. I
The Benefits and Pitfalls of Third-Party Mental Health Insurance
Some Background and Considerations [This is a minor re-write of an article I originally wrote 18 years ago. Very little of my mind has changed over
“In” Love
Some years ago, when I was reading many of the works of Charles Williams,1 I came across a brief theatrical interlude between Mary & Joseph: Mary: “Joseph
The Psalms – Finally A Way To Enjoy Them
Readers,I’m going to get ‘religions’ on you for a moment or two. For some, that will be fine; for others, that can be an “Oh
Reading the Bubbles – and with Care
A while ago, I was listening to a friend ranting about his job, specifically his boss. I heard the same word used at least four
Making Decisions
Sometimes, clients will come to me to help make “an important decision.” Over the years, I’ve discovered and developed a protocol for making decisions, that
Jacob’s Wound / God’s Wounding
One of my favorite counseling stories from the Old Testament is the account of Jacob wrestling with God “by the ford of the river Jabbok.”
Pacifism or Passivity
Let me begin with a story I’ll frequently share with clients. The Old Monk and the Cobra Somewhere in the Indian subcontinent, there’s a village.
Despise Nothing, Honor Everything
This is one of those “my father taught me” statements. And that’s how I speak of it whenever I teach it to my clients. Truth
What Now?
Last year, as every year, ended with a narrative about the Holy Birth of a Prince of Peace. Born in innocence and vulnerability Now, The
Why do the nations so furiously rage together Why do the people imagine a vain thing? Psalm 2:1
Even from my youth, that forceful solo Bass air from the midst of G F Handel’s Messiah is seared into the musical memory chambers of my brain,