Compassion and Peace in a Confusing World
Last weekend I received a voice mail from Mary, the wife of a friend who worked with me for a number of years. We both retired from our bereavement support jobs about the same time. Mary’s message suggested some troubling news. I immediately returned the call and learned that Michael had died. Difficult news to… Continue reading The World According to Michael
This week I sat in my home office with the television news on. I glanced at pictures of people killed in the Nashville mass shooting. I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw the photo of a nine-year old girl. Her name is Hallie Scruggs. I thought of my seven-year-old granddaughter and refocused… Continue reading May the Light Shine
With all the losses we have faced in the past few years, I have been writing a lot about getting involved with your friends, members of your faith community, neighbors, and friends of friends. I have been making the point that companioning people who have suffered losses do not always require professional therapists, but the… Continue reading Offering Companionship
I read an Opinion column a couple weeks ago in the Washington Post. The writer was Jennifer Rubin, and I agree with just about everything she wrote. In fact, for readers of this blog most of this summary may sound familiar. The column is written for those of us who have not necessarily been part of… Continue reading The Empathy Gap
Last month, I posted a few thoughts about Damar Hamlin’s serious football injury. Football injuries happen with every game, but Damar’s was dramatically different. His heart stopped beating twice. Many of the players and coaches grasped the critical nature of the injury, dropped to their knees and began to pray. The good news is Damar appears… Continue reading An Update and a Mini-Lesson
Almost a month has passed since a Newport News, Virginia elementary school teacher was shot in her class by a six-year-old student. The teacher, Abigail Zwerner, is recovering following surgery and hospitalization. A few days after the shooting, I spoke with a friend who lives in the New York metropolitan area who wanted to know… Continue reading A School Shooting
Over the past two weeks or so, my emotions have scattered from one topic to another and I did not know where to start. What follows is my attempt. On January 2, a football player for the Buffalo Bills experienced a near-death event in front of hundreds of thousands of people at the stadium in… Continue reading What’s Next?
Our household seems more excited about Christmas this year, which I attribute to our local grandchildren being six years old. They would tell you they are really seven because the twins were born in early January, and they are so excited about Christmas. Attending church and Sunday School has enhanced their awareness of the Christian… Continue reading A Simple Christmas Post
In the midst of the Thanksgiving holiday season, our country, our state, and especially our community of Hampton Roads, Virginia were shocked by horrendous mass shootings which, once again, have touched many families and all those who loved the victims. Colorado Springs (11/19),Charlottesville VA (11/13), and Chesapeake, VA (11/22) are suffering through grief and loss.… Continue reading Where Do We Turn?
Last week I was finishing the next post for At Peace, and then, I learned a close friend died. This news stopped me in my tracks and I decided to write about his loss. I spoke with my friend at church every week. I will call him, Jim... because that is his name. Jim was a very interesting… Continue reading And Then…
At Peace 