Category: mental health
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An Emotional Stump
I wake up most mornings with a song stuck in my head. Most of the time, the lyrics offer a parable into my subconscious mind. If I give it voice beyond the melody, I may chance hearing God speak. This morning, grudgingly waking to a new day after the fast-paced demands of a hospital chaplain…
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A Reflection on Traffic
As past posts have suggested, I have recently become addicted to Mayim Bialik’s podcast, Breakdown. Although still several years behind, I recently listened to the Timber Hawkeye episode, which led me to his podcast, Buddhist Boot Camp. I am fascinated by Buddhist philosophy and intrigued by Timber Hawkeye. I am hooked. Surprised that a devout…
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Abbey of . . . Galveston – Day 4, My Birthday
I planned this retreat for this week specifically so that it would conclude on my birthday. Only God knew how much I would need this trip at exactly this time in my life. Ever since I had cancer, I elected to spend my birthdays doing something I have never done before or something that scared…
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Abbey of . . . Galveston – Day 2 and 3
I originally intended to keep the unedited journal concept going, but after this evening’s adventure, I elected to simply provide the highlights rather send my readers down the rabbit trail of my internal dialogues with God. Day 2 I had the bright idea to walk to the pier in the opposite direction from the one…
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Abbey of . . . Galveston
Below is an entry from my prayer journal in its raw, unedited version. I haven’t even gone back to re-read it other than to delete personal names and add some photos. I’m afraid that if I re-read it or attempted to edit it for grammar or clarity, I would lose my nerve and never hit…
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Stay
I bought my first house – closed just a few weeks shy of my 48th birthday. And it’s terrifying. The fear stems not from the normal first-time-home-buyer worries such as money and the new obligations and responsibilities of home ownership. Rather, my trepidation stems from one word: STAY. I have spent my life living like…
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Christmas Hits Different
When a patient’s family longs for hope, they often seek out that hope from me. They have been told one thing from the medical team and now crave a different diagnosis from a higher power (meaning God, not me). What I often tell them is that, in the end, when the medical team says there…
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Living for the Done
While listening to a past episode of Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, Glennon Doyle summed up quite succinctly what it is like for me to live with anxiety: living for the done. Never looking forward to a thing outside of my routine (and even dreading some things within my routine) and always looking forward to the moment…
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Ah . . . Cinnamon!
I wish it had known about Mayim Bialik’s podcast, Breakdown before now. How inspiring and comforting it would have been for me during the height of my pandemic breakdown. Well, I know about it now and have begun listening from the beginning. She is my type of person – bridging the head and the heart…
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What I Learned from My Cat
My cat has always enjoyed the freedom of coming and going as she pleases. Although she spends a fair amount of time snuggled in the comfort of the indoors, she prefers spending most of her waking hours outside – even if it is just to sit in the sun. Every once in a while, something…
TRA.Perspective 