Dealing With Disruptions

  We all experience disruptions.  Some are minor. Some are life changing.  They may be what we think of as positive: taking that bucket list trip, traveling to see friends/family, someone is getting married, having a child/grandchild, buying your dream home, moving to your dream community, a paid speaking tour, etc.  We may have planned…

Traditions

  Traditions are customs handed down through the generations by word of mouth or example. They start in memory or honor of an event, time, and/or person. Traditions enrich our lives by providing meaning and cultural continuity. They divide time into meaningful segments. Like the guard rails on the Autobahn, they can allow us to…

In absentia

In absentia

It has been months since I have posted.  I did not consciously set out to take such a long break. However this past season has been a season of reading, listening, observing, learning and processing.  I am finding that writing is a seasonal journey for me. Thank you for your patience.  Please check back for…

New Beginnings

  A New Year’s Resolution is a promise to yourself to do better, to erase bad habits and form good ones. Yet it can be hard to make those changes stick.  Why is the decision to change for the better so hard? Habits and mindsets do not form instantaneously. Neither do most of our problems….

What is a Personal Economy?

  It is your personal resources: your health, finances, personality, passion, purpose, energy, values, time, strengths, weaknesses, education, knowledge, skills, talents, experience, possessions, and your expenditures of the same. In short, it is all the elements that make up You, set into your current environment. Like all economies, sometimes it seems to be running like…

Land in Her Own Name

Land in Her Own Name

History is the sum total of choices and actions that make up the past.  A historic record is evidence that is left behind for those in the present and future to read or ignore, interpret, try to understand.   Do you ever wonder about your ancestors? How did they live? What choices did they make?…

“From Catherine to Khrushchev: The Story of Russia’s Germans”

“From Catherine to Khrushchev: The Story of Russia’s Germans”

Did you know that a variety of German ethnic groups settled in Russia between the 16th and 19th Centuries at the invitation of the Tzars? Do you know why they immigrated to Russia? Where and how they lived?  What precipitated their diaspora to the rest of the world? Did you know that some remain? A…