After seeing the news on Facebook about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, I sank into my living room chair, phone glued to my hand as I scrolled for more information about what had happened and why. My shoulders began to shake …
How “Dancing With the Stars” Helped Me Wear Shorts Today
Today was a milestone. I don’t remember the last time I wore a pair of shorts out of the confines of my backyard, but today, I rocked shorts at a popular lake on a holiday. Not too long ago, not …
A Messy Invitation
We were halfway through winter when the walls started closing in like we were stuck in a bad dream. After months of temperatures so cold we couldn’t endure more than five minutes outside, and even more months of colds and …
Think It Through
You are a collector of information, a customer of knowledge, a curator of facts. But if you don’t put that into practice, it is not very useful. Grab a friend, a mentor or a fellow Leader and a cup of …
Small Actions Take Courage
We sat together, sipping coffee. She asked how I took my coffee and I replied, “Usually black.” She told me she was the same. Back home, they grew and roasted their own coffee, which she would drink black. But here …
On Telling the Stories We’re Too Afraid to Share (And How It Can Deepen Friendships- and Hope)
We met in church nursery – or at least that’s where we reconnected after a nearly two-decade hiatus. Eliza* and I had known each other as acquaintances in childhood, but when our family moved back to my hometown when I …
Surprised by Home
They told me to be prepared for culture shock, loneliness, homesickness and low-grade discouragement. What they failed to prepare me for was the fact that I would meet people who would change my life forever, and I would end up …
I Am Not Enough: Vulnerability and Kindness in Community
Kindness is one of those sentiments that feels very warm and fuzzy in our brains. In action, it is more complex and beautiful. Think of a diamond: multifaceted, each surface reflecting and refracting dazzling rainbows of light, but a diamond is hard. …