Words from the Heart

(c) 2018 "Pain" Photo by L. M. Neas In this blog, we have explored the meaning of many words. We have discussed how words touch us; how they can heal and hurt. We have even looked at the power of words; their use and popularity. Sometimes, words that were once powerful, become almost inert. They simply sit in the consciousness, failing to trigger the correct synapsis for a reaction. Or, should I say, for the reaction that is typical to the words. Two such words are "chronic pain."  Let's look at their meaning and origin, first. Chronic comes to us from, as many words used in the realm of science, the Greek language. Khronos,  which means "time," is the root to words such as chronical, chronology, and chronically. In English, the word "chronic" means repetitive, occurring constantly. Pain has a dual nationality, coming from both Latin and Greek - poena/poine, respectively - both meaning "penalty ."   (Is it any...

Icon of St. Sophia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Over the past month, I have taken a course on Wisdom Education, which is based on the work of theologian, Matthew Fox, who is famous for Creation Spirituality, among other things.  The course was developed by Theodore Richards , the director of The Chicago Wisdom Project. In a nutshell, Wisdom Education is a means to help students, first , get in touch with their body's wisdom, learning techniques to de-stress, then, second , allow them to find a creative means to express themselves.  What I loved about this pedagogy of teaching is that it works for students of all ages because it takes us back to Wisdom.  Teaching in aboriginal or indigenous cultures is steeped in Wisdom.  In fact, the "teachers" are often referred to as Wise Women or Wise Men.   Matthew Fox teaches that Wisdom Education incorporates the 10 C's - Contemplation; Character/Chakra Development; Cosmology & Ecology; Chaos & Darkne...

Image via Wikipedia A little east of Jordan, the women of ancient times lived very different lives than we do today, yet there are many similarities. Like us, they had children, cared for families, helped others in the community, and searched for meaning in their lives. Sacred stories, tell us that many women traveled difficult and lonely paths through life. The examples of their inner strength and wisdom can be a guiding light during times of difficulty, confusion, pain and suffering. One of my favorite stories is that of Naomi and Ruth. Naomi is widowed and both her sons are dead. Ruth is one of her daughter-in-laws. When Naomi decides to return to her own country, Ruth goes with her. She says to her mother-in-law, “Your people will be my people; your God, my God.” For me, this is such a beautiful display of selflessness. Ruth could easily have stayed were she was, perhaps even remarried, but instead, she goes with the woman to whom she was no legal obligation, treating Na...

"Never underestimate the power of a small group of people to change the world.  In fact, it is the only way it ever has."  Margaret Mead    In deed, this is true as is evidenced by the following blog post.   Let me introduce you to an extraordinary, mutli-talented young teacher, Stephanie Hayward.   I have known Stephanie since she was a student singing in the York Middle and High School shows with my daughters.  It is a pleasure to share with my readers this interview with Stephanie and her class of fifth graders, who saw a need and found a way to meet it.   ~~~~~~~~~   Hi, Stephanie! Thank you for visiting my blog to share the story of how your students created a way to help the people in Haiti. Could you give us a little history of how this happened? Thanks, Linda. We are very excited to share this project! It has inspired us as a classroom, a school but most importantly, as people. My fifth graders were very concerned when...