A picture of a soul lost to suicide keeps reminding me on my phone. I didn’t even put the picture there. So, I’ve decided this is a prompt from above to discuss. When I was alone for what felt like an age, the thought of relief wasn’t appalling. Loneliness is extremely oppressive. If you haven’t …
Category: A Better Way
The One Job for Every Day
You’re not just another, comically juggling a to-do list. Work. Workout. Cook. Eat — way too fast! Errands. Cleaning. Laundry. RSVP. Schedule. Check to-do list. No surprise: there’s still more to do. We’re responsible; we have to take care of things. Who else will? Changing hats throughout the day can leave you feeling like …
An Unlikely Mrs. Part 5: Unexpected Gifts
You’re not just another, who thinks it’s too late to find love. My five-part series, An Unlikely Mrs., is for you. This is part five of my dating story. The first four installments of An Unlikely Mrs. recounted decades of prayers for my future husband (link here), my battle with chronic pain (link here), the well-intentioned but …
Should Human Life Be a Footnote to an Ideal?
Is human life the ultimate value, or should human life bow to an idea? True freedom is an individual’s ability to explore ideas without fear of harm. After all, if the idea is weak, won’t it be easily defeated by honest examination? Believing what people say someone said, without reading or listening to the full …
An Unlikely Mrs. Part 4: Wait, the problem is me!
This series, An Unlikely Mrs., is for anyone who thinks it may be too late to find meaningful, lasting romantic love. You’re not just another, who doesn’t know if the right person exists. In the first three parts of An Unlikely Mrs., I described: decades of prayers for my future husband, my battle with chronic, …
An Unlikely Mrs. Part 3: The Mirage of Independence
In college, despite my enervating health obstacles (read here: An Unlikely Mrs. Part 2), of course, I wanted a romantic relationship. I can still picture the ordinary scene: I was walking, phone to ear, close to my college place on the corner, when I shared this desire with a trusted, older and wiser friend. She …
The Feelings Trap
You’re not just another, confused by emotional pain. I detest getting emotionally rattled. When someone’s choices toward me twist my heart, I don’t want that person to distort and define its shape and size. She treated me poorly. Why should I allow my heart and time to be arrested by her behavior? I want to …
IVF: How to Use It for Good
You’re not just another, who’s struggling with infertility. Because of: 1) the controversy spurred by President Trump’s executive order, 2) my unanticipated fertility detours, and 3) my friends, who have traumatic infertility experiences, IVF is top of mind. I’ve listened to influential thinkers regarding IVF, and this article differs. Well-known commentators seem to choose between …
How Do I Follow?
I don’t know if I’ll get what I want, but I know I’ll get what I need. I’m panicked I’ve been forgotten; how do I follow your lead? How do I follow, when you go into the wilderness, with nothing to eat? How do I follow, when you choose silence, in response to religious police? …
Bad News for Luigi Mangione Fans
Although Mangione fans apparently regard murder as palatable, potent medicine for a diseased system, I have bad news for them. Mangione’s alleged choice was much more infected than the ills of corporate healthcare. Murder creates human suffering, unlike corporate healthcare. An irony not to be ignored, the alleged murderer’s actions replicated a sick system, by …
