Words from the Heart

Cover of Gloria Loring A few weeks ago, I introduced Gloria Loring 's book, Coincidence Is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous .  Since then, I have had time to sit and absorb her words.    The first thing that hit me was how similar our life paths have been, but then I was taken by the wisdom of her writing.  Gloria shares details from her life in a way that only someone who has wrestled with demons can.  She speaks frankly and with great warmth.      The idea that there are no coincidences in life was not a hard sell for me.  I have seen how intuition can play in one's life and have, since childhood, listened to my angels/higher power/gut.  I have had my own proof that when we dismiss that inner voice, we always wish we hadn't. What I found most helpful in Gloria's book was how she guides the reader into knowing whether they are actually hearing an inner voice or simply the monkey mind chattering away.  Is what we hear impulse or intuition?   Gloria pu

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) When I was young, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was one of the icons of children's TV. While he entertained, he also taught.  His teachings were simple and after awhile, too childish for me...or so I thought. Over the years, I have come to realize that many of the adults that I thought to be silly, weird, and dopey have turned out to be pretty amazing humans, who had so much to share with a young person.  I guess it is the bane of the young to write off their elders.  But, thankfully, many of us learn to listen, eventually. After yesterday's tragedy at the Boston Marathon, someone posted this quote from Fred Rogers.   " When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that the

Honoring the teachers of America. National education association; 1857-1957. United States postage, 3 cents (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Over the last few months, several school systems have been in the news due to protests over unfair contracts, standardize testing and teachers being asked to compromise the quality of their teaching for the quantity of students being graduated.  As an educator, I find this greatly disturbing!    Thing is, this isn't just a problem in the US.  Teachers around the world are under fire from school boards, government agencies and the media.  Just a few examples to consider: Danish Teachers Locked Out! Chilean Students Protest for Education Reform  Montreal Students Protest Tuition Hikes University Students in Spain Protest Education Cuts   What is happening in our world?  Why are teachers being undermined?  Why are students being persecuted?  Why are parents being lied to? I don't know the answer to these questions, but I do know th