My heart goes out to you if you’re struggling! None of us have been in lockdown or even partial lockdown before! So it’s natural for all sorts of emotions to come up, feeling out of control, scared, anxious, frustrated, vulnerable. Go easy on yourself! Give yourself some love so that you can give it to...

Seeing this picture of 2009 shook me up! I was clueless at the time about what lay ahead of me. I didn’t know that: Christchurch, New Zealand, the city I called home for 20 years, would be devastated by a 6.9 earthquake. Eleven of my friends and work colleagues would be losing their lives all on...

Families are an interesting kettle of fish, don’t you think? We choose our friends but are “stuck” with our families. They bring us a lot of joy, but also a fair share of challenges. Some of us have meaningful family relationships. I hope that’s you! Others don’t see eye to eye with them.  I believe...

Have you ever wanted to express your opinion, but stopped yourself in the tracks, because you feared the people around you would judge you? Or you had a great idea, but never got started implementing it, because you assumed that your family or friends would think you are crazy? I can relate. My interactions with...

New Zealand is a small country, but it sure has a huge heart. When our family first moved to New Zealand in 1999 one of the things I noticed straight away, was the incredible friendliness of the Kiwis—the ability to be a genuine friend to a stranger. People were willing to go out of their...

When a farmer plants a field, he or she often does not know how large the harvest will be. The rich soil might increase the yield far beyond the goals set in the spring. It’s the same way with us: we often don’t know how rich the harvest will be when we start our healing...

In our last blog post, we discovered certain ways in which you might be feeling more restless. Now, let’s discover ways to have less restless and more peace! First of all, we have to want it. Don’t our addictions and distractions—our various ways to self-medicate—give us momentary relief at best? We have to realize that...

The world we live in is characterized by material pursuits, restlessness, and pressures, often with just with a few slender moments of relaxation, fun, and peace. We tend to be busy—always in motion. When we are not moving, our fingers are on our smart phones. So much to do! Not enough time! We are chasing...

I just read a fantastic, moving, and inspiring book, Tattoos on the Heart – The Power of Boundless Compassion. It is written by Rev. Gregory J. Boyle, S.J., a Jesuit Priest who started working with gangs in East LA in 1985. This area was notorious for the highest concentration of gang activity in Los Angeles...