Politically? It doesn't feel good.

I am discouraged by all the political ads and talk as individuals seek votes prior to the elections. I’ve never supported the idea of political careers. I’ve believed politicians needed to serve out their allotted term, such as four or six years, and then return home to make, what my grandfather called, “an honest living.” I am especially discouraged with want-to-be politicians whose goal is to give full support to one person, i.e., the president. I believe elected individuals are to represent the people of their district, state, etc., not one individual, i.e., the President or a political party. Something is terribly wrong when you spend millions of dollars to have a job that might pay two thousand dollars. Who is paying the millions and what do they expect/want/demand for their “investment”? Our political system is not on a good track, and I’m very worried where it might be taking us.

Maybe the symptoms are not what it is about

Maybe the symptoms are not what it is about. Could headaches be about your trying to live a life that is not in keeping with the values that you own? Could indigestion be the result of trying to “swallow” a truth with which you do not agree? Could not being able to balance the checkbook by an indication of financial issues that you do not want to address? A friend recently told me she has ceased going to a particular Church because she came home sick to her stomach every Sunday. She also said, “I can’t swallow what that Church believes.” When she said this, she stopped talking, eyes wide open and asked, “Did you hear what I just said?” It wasn’t as important that I heard her, she heard herself. She has made some Church changes, and her indigestion has significantly minimized. She laughs as she reports she still needs to pay attention to her diet. Sometimes our symptoms are trying to tell us something very important about our lives and we need to listen to them. It might be as we listen to the symptoms and make appropriate adjustments, the symptoms would go away because they have been heard.

Befriending Anxiety

Anxiety can be a friend. God created humanity and called it “very good.” Humans, as also with other animals, are warned of a potentially threatening or distressing situation by means of the amygdala. This small gland sits atop our spinal cord at the base of the brain, and it was divinely created as a warning system. I’ve a friend who called it the “check engine light.” It warns us of potentially threatening situations, and our prefrontal cortex or rational thinking part of our brain takes notice and decides whether the situation is really threatening or just inconvenient. If it is threatening, our brain and nervous system gets ourselves prepared to fight, flight/run or freeze. Our task is to learn from our anxiety but not let it overwhelm us. We can learn to befriend anxiety. Unfortunately, there are those among us who seem to worry all the time. If they are not worried about something, they are worried because they aren’t worried. We can befriend our anxiety, learn from it and be grateful that we have been created with such a warning system.

Being Inconvenienced by an Inconvenient Situation

Recently our beautiful city, Lexington, Kentucky, had an experience of snow on top of which fell ice which was topped by snow. The city was immobilized for several days. Now that spring is almost here, some citizens of our wonderful city are calling against the mayor. The leader of the City’s department of road has been dismissed. Could the city have done more to clear the road? I really don’t know as this recent event was most unusual. In the past when it snowed only, the city folks did very well. My sense is that citizens have too high expectations. I often wonder if their personal expectations of themselves are as high as their expectations of other. I suspect they give themselves more grace than they give others. What has happened to us that we think we should not be inconvenienced by an inconvenient situation?

Life's Cycle

There is a cycle to life, a beginning and an ending. At least an ending to this earthly life. Today I received pictures of an infant who was born yesterday. His mother is a colleague at the Counseling Center, and we have prayed for her well being as well as the arrival of this beautifully innocent young child. He is full of enormous potential far beyond our imagination. Today I also received a phone call from a friend of many years to share that her mother, whom I have known fondly for fifty plus years, has entered Hospice and begun the ending of her beautiful and meaningful life. Indeed, there is a cycle for this process of living. It is a cycle of which we have minimal control. We can, however, accept and appreciate every season in life’s cycle.

2026's Lenten Journey

Today is Ash Wednesday or the beginning of Lent for 2026. The time between Ash Wednesday and Easter or Resurrection is frequently called the Lenten journey. It is the personal and inner journey toward a more Christ-like living. Perhaps we could make this journey more profitable in addition to giving something up for Lent, if we were to add something for Resurrection or First Fruits as I Corinthians 15:20 teaches about our resurrection after death. It would be healthy if we gave up sweets, carbs, etc. or at least reduced our intake as most Physicians recommend. It would also be spiritually healthy if we began a morning of quiet times. If we already have a quiet time, perhaps we might add 15 minutes. Maybe we would be moved to begin a spiritual journal which asks the questions (1) how did I experience God’s presence during this day and (2) how have I experienced and expressed thankfulness this day? We could also begin to prayerfully read the Psalms or the Gospel of John during our Lenten journey. My pray is we open ourselves to what God might choose to do with us during this Lenten journey of 2026.

The Effortfulness Flow of Divine Creativity

I have recently learned a new word or concept, “lila” (leela). This is a Sanskrit word/concept that means the Divine acts of creation, from the first creation as well as the on-going acts of creation, are joyful, playful, effortfulness, dancing, peaceful, non-competitive sporting, etc. of the Divine. When I’m working too hard and/or too concerned about how something “should” happen, I may be getting in the way of 'lila' and out of the effortfulness flow of Divine creativity of which I am only a conduit, not its creator. Often I make ‘stuff’ harder than it needs to be.