What are your family memories?

April 16, 2017

My how times have changed.

I borrowed the family history from a 96-year-old friend. She recorded the stories of her husband and his sisters, in 1996, before they passed away. The story started with a wedding in 1909 and chronicled life growing up on a Maryland farm outside of DC.

The first description to capture my imagination was from a rare trip to West Virginia to visit family. "There were no surfaced roads in the mountains, just wagon trails. The kids would get out of the car, and stand on the running boards, on the upper side of the car to keep it from...

How do you forage for positivity?

March 19, 2017

Buried treasure was just waiting to be found. I knew it had to be true. Inside the back cover of my comic book shined a full-color advertisement, of the perfect metal detector. Dials, lights, and gauges decorated the shiny control panel. The muscle-bound treasure hunter, walked down the beach, with the prized metal detector in one hand and a bag of riches in the other. The surprised expression of his bikini-clad girlfriend squealed another discovery was imminent.

The possibilities were endless, and I knew the beach would reveal its buried treasure. However, my beachcombing dreams were dashed. My father...

What are you encouraged about?

March 12, 2017

The world presses in with news of pending doom. The evening news can only afford 30 seconds to the uplifting because there is too much bad news to tell you before bed. The Internet trolls somehow know the precise words to get you riled up. The month seems to have more days than the account has funds. The tendrils of darkness are too strong to resist, and you sense the slide down the slippery slope is inevitable.

With all the rust, decay, brokenness and messed up circumstances swarming around us each day; what breaks through the gloom?

What are you encouraged...

How can you use your constraints as an advantage?

March 5, 2017

The professor asked us about our working environment. We spent five minutes outlining all our challenges. The constrained budget, compressed timelines, suppliers failing to deliver on the requirements, and a myriad of other problems.

This discussion was during the first class of an executive crash course at a top-tier business school. It felt good to get this off our collective chest, as we shared the common difficulties. Knowing the school's reputation, we were counting on the answers to all our problems.

The professor paused and asked, "how can you use these constraints to your advantage?"

The question stripped us of...

How do you notice the invisible?

February 12, 2017

The food court kebob joint was backed up. After placing my order, I was immersed in the impatient, receipt looking, foot tapping vibe, radiating from those awaiting their meal. The food looked good and smelled wonderful, but we struggled as the nearby burger, salad, and taco joints quickly delivered their bounty, in mere seconds.

We waited as the flames slowly cooked the skewers of protein. The staff hustled to prepare the plates of salad and rice while avoiding eye contact with the restless customers.

A reluctant mother dodged glaring looks and pressed her way to the front of the pickup line. Her young daughter recognized the young woman behind the counter, from her neighborhood and wanted to say "hi." This pint-sized, etiquette-breaking little girl...

Why do you stop short of the hard question?

February 6, 2017

The conversation flows between you.

The dialogue bubbles as smooth as a leaf dancing down a swift current.

As the exchange deepens, the navigation gets tougher to dodge the whirlpools.

You hear a statement, and the pivotal question springs to your mind. It is the obvious question that will lay bare the situation. Your eyes lock, and you both know the inquiry must be asked. The answer will bring insight at the expense of embarrassment, discomfort or pain.

Do you choose to ask the difficult question and engage, or do you...

How do you test extremes?

January 29, 2017

You live better than anyone in human history. Your chances of living out a full life are very high compared to your ancestors.

A mobile phone in your pocket that displays all information of the known world. A market nearby that contains a selection of fresh foods from around the world during every season. Your risk of being sold into slavery or a violent death are small. The A/C works in the summer and the heater in the winter. The hardships of today, pale in comparison to our forefathers.

With all this goodness, how do you push your...

Who doesn't deserve your unity?

January 25, 2017

The soldier's life ebbed into the foreign soil.

She knew the risks, but the siren call to dedicate her life in service to the United States was the call she answered. The fabric of her country is diverse in color, texture, strength, density, and weave; no swatch is the same.

She loved her republic in spite of the stains, wear patterns, snags, and tears which strain the seams. The inner beauty of her people's shared purpose, freedoms, independence, and charity amplified the physical beauty of the land.

Under the armor, her heart pulsed with hope. The possibility...

How do you prepare for trials?

January 22, 2017

The U.S. spent $100B to ensure the swing of a second hand turning the millennium, did not crash the modern computer infrastructure during the run-up to Y2K. Pending hurricanes quickly clear store shelves of plywood, batteries, bottled water, milk, bread, and toilet paper. Insurance and financial advisers pitch solutions to mitigate catastrophe and reach personal goals.

How do you prepare for the storms of life during...

How did a trial expose your grit?

January 19, 2017

"Everyone has a plan 'till they are punched in the mouth" ~ Mike Tyson

Trials, suffering, pain, work, sweat, the grind, being wronged, and every other hardship is an event.

How do you choose to interpret these events?

How did the experience increase your...

What storms did your parents endure?

January 19, 2017

Until recently, very little changed between generations. Children would grow up knowing the same world as their parents. Not so today. Our parent's generation lived in a time we will never understand.

My mom walked through former orange groves and watched the construction of Disneyland on her way to school. She experienced some strange family situations as a young girl, her oldest daughter dying in a horse accident, divorce, life as a single parent before remarrying and enduring me.

My dad watched his brother fight polio and wither...

How have trials shaped you?

January 17, 2017

Pressure creates diamonds.

Poverty, abuse, persecution, racism, death, bullying, and a myriad of other wrongs influence how we encounter the world.

The social norms of the day may have swept events under the rug or threats silenced the reporting. But, you remember and carry these memories in your bones.

Writer, Debbie Millman (@debbiemillman), openly discusses the sexual, physical, and mental abuse she received as a child and youth. Counseling has helped her...

How do you come alongside during trials?

January 16, 2017

Live long enough, and life is going to hurt.

I have, and it does. However, others have encountered far darker days than my experiences.

Seeing this misery silences the complaining tongue that compares with others. It is easy to be jealous of those with the fancy houses and exotic vacations. But, if we play the treacherous game of comparison, it is appropriate to compare to those...

How do you welcome trials?

January 15, 2017

The theater fades to black. The screen flickers to life and the feature begins. The film whisks me through the standard story arc in 90 minutes. The introduction of the hero sparks empathy and our hero plummets from bliss to chaos. The last quarter of the movie displays the resolution and rising out of the ashes to the new normal.

I am a sucker for a story and my emotions quickly buckle up for the pending roller coaster ride. This plummet over the edge of sanity always gets my heart racing and somehow my eyes leak as if on cue from the director.

We watch our heroes and celebrate their return home. We revel in the entrepreneur's...

How do you bless your children?

January 14, 2017

A quick Google search of the world's major religions includes some form of blessing children. Jesus blessed the children; Abraham blessed his son's, religious leaders bless children at birth or upon attainment of specified milestones.

Merriam-Webster defines the act of blessing as, "to ask the favor or protection of God for." Regardless of your religious or non-religious tradition, this practice is an opportunity to communicate care and love for our children.

The Bible's Abraham blessed his two sons with specific words of encouragement, details of their inheritance, and prophetic words about...

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