This evening I had to have a serious conversation with my daughter. She was crying and asked me whether she was good enough at an activity she does or whether she should quit. My first question was, “Do you want to quit?” She said, “No.” I asked her, “Do you enjoy doing it?” “Yes,”…
Every morning, after I wake up, I sit in contemplative prayer prior to starting my day. I’ve been doing it long enough now to know that my experiences with contemplation, both during and after, vary greatly from day to day. Some days, I feel a deep calm, an undeniable connection with God, and a…
Last year, we had jiu-jitsu black belt Brian Glick come to our academy to teach a seminar for the academy’s third anniversary, something he has done every year since we opened this particular location. Whenever he comes down, he is gracious enough to spend much of our time together answering my many jiu-jitsu questions.…
I often wonder how much worrying is enough. In fact, it could be said that I worry about how much I should or should not worry. I worry that if I don’t worry then no one will worry and the things that need to get done, the things about which I am worried, will…
I’ve been struggling for a while now with a feeling that I can only describe as “restlessness, irritability, and discontentment.” I had been feeling great, perhaps better than I have felt in years. Then, one day, it just kind of hit me and, in spite of my efforts and prayers, I can’t seem to…
Earlier today, I overheard something that I’m pretty sure was intended to hurt my feelings. It was one of those things that went in one ear and out the other at first. Later, however, it came back around in my mind and started bouncing around like a fly stuck in a jar. Then I…