Tag: psychology
-
When It Stops Snowing
The moment I see snowflakes and the sky is a swirl with flurries my heart rejoices. I anticipate an onslaught of flakes not sure what will come or how long it will continue. I don’t access my weather app because that makes me think about snow. I just want to feel it. If it’s the…
-
Griefs to Still
The most solitary emotion I know is grief. So deeply personal with so many faces. It comes for us all. Even children cannot escape it. It never arrives at an opportune time. When it stands waiting farther down the path and we approach, we dread meeting such an unwelcome partner on our pilgrim journey home.…
-
Like Shrines
We place such little value in ourselves. We do not realize what we hold within these bodies of flesh and bone. How unfortunate. Our souls are not trivial creations nor mere imaginings. They are life. They allow us to move, breathe, imagine, dream, and love. They can be injured and harmed. They are the source…
-
To Walk Away
When I think about walking, a destination usually comes to mind. Recently, though, my thoughts have wandered to the exact opposite–the idea of walking away, of leaving something behind. This image has sad and forlorn overtones. To leave a place or a person or a culture because it’s harmful or simply bad is to walk…
-
To Stumble and Fall
It’s one thing to walk along the path, and another to come across a traveler who’s broken, injured, and unable to walk. Remember, the path is our homeward journey. This isn’t a tourist trip or a march into battle. Metaphors of the Good Samaritan abound. Here we encounter another doing the same thing as us.…
-
Hic et Nunc
“Here and now.” That’s where we are. Always. My novice master impressed upon me, “All that exists is the here and now.” Hence the phrase Hic et Nunc. These enduring words are so true, they form the motto of the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland. A school dear to our…
-
Where Do Souls Live?
As the details coalesce near the conclusion of the recent K-Drama Little Women, Oh In-ju, one of the three sisters whose life hangs by a thread, ponders who and what she really is. (Confession here: I’ve been hooked on Korean dramas and Sageuk since April.) In the empty room of a luxury high-rise apartment above…
-
The Olive Tree
I flourish like an olive tree in the palace of God. (Psalm 51) The olive is an important symbol for three ancient religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Within its rich metaphorical tradition, the one I love the most is its sign of reconciliation and healing. Remember, the dove returned to the ark with an olive…
-
A Thread of Hope
All of us dread public embarrassment. To have one’s faults or indiscretions announced in public brings chin dropping shame. Imagine the woman caught in the act of adultery (something she would want to keep hidden) dragged and thrown in the dirt before Jesus and you get the picture. How can anyone recover from such humiliation?…
-
Enter the Courtyard with Song
Music in our wonderful Twenty-first Century is at our fingertips, whether it’s streamed through earbuds on the subway, wireless sound systems on our patios and hot tubs or media rooms that rival movie theaters. But to hear live music daily? That’s different Those who whistle are always ready to offer a tune, and to hum…
Richard Earenfight 