Bill McDonald's Newsletter: 'Paying Attention'

The Black Dog – A Native American Story

Story – an Introduction I grew up on stories.  Both of my parents were great at reading to us (my childhood memory is that it was every night).  It was just what parents did – apparently had always done – probably since the beginning of time itself. Even as I write this, I can look across my living room to my ‘wall of books’ to those five books called the Young Folks’ Library.  Each volume was filled with stories, ostensibly for children.  Years ago, I made sure I inherited them

Read More »

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.

Subcribe to the Monthly Newsletter: ‘Paying Attention’

Whether you are a client or not, you can always benefit from some free monthly words of wisdom:

All Newsletters

When the Wife Complains

I’ve been counseling couples for almost 50 years now. And in that time I’ve learned a lot, and re-learned a lot, and had to re-learn

The Space In-Between

This recently came to my awareness when I realized that frequently in Christian liturgical language, God is named as “Maker of heaven and earth.1” Initially

Calling My Name

What’s going on when someone speaks your name? Sometimes I’ll ask a client about their name. “Where does it come from?” The question itself assumes

Breaking Bread

Backstory I have a vivid memory of the occasion when I first fell in love with what I’ve ever since called “real bread.” It was

An Antidote to Despair

Hope At the turn of the year, I heard many comments from friends and clients, that we have just come through a most difficult year

The Medicine Inside

Backstory You will note from the date at the end of this December Newsletter, that I am very late to write for this month. I

Run toward the Roar

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

The Bells of Nuremberg

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

Mosquitoes and Telemarketers

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

Otto Pitzke’s Scar

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

A New Way to Pray – Boldly

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

Fenton Counseling & Therapy | Bill McDonald, LMSW