Nov 18

Refugees and Samaritans

Stained glass window depicting the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Church of Saint-Eutrope in Clermont-Ferrand, stained glasses (Puy-de-Dôme, France), image from Wikimedia Commons

Stained glass window depicting the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Church of Saint-Eutrope in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme, France), image from Wikimedia Commons

Tonight’s bedtime prayers with the kids had a good “teachable moment”.

I prayed that the refugee situation would end well, with all of the displaced and frightened people having their needs met. My inquisitive kids asked what refugees are, and I explained in simple terms that didn’t involve discussing terrorism, Syrian politics, or Islamic extremism. This led to some muddled (but earnest) questions from Lily (4.5), who tried to connect everything to Star Wars or Doctor Who. So, I explained the situation using elements of Star Wars, connecting the Empire with terrorists, and I must have used the word parable, because I then had to explain what one was.

So, I paraphrased for them the parable of the Good Samaritan. I connected the robbed and beaten man with the ...

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Aug 09

Forgiveness

CC-licensed photo by Flickr user mobilesage

CC-licensed photo by Flickr user mobilesage

Recently, my oldest child did something that shocked and moved me. I had walked into the living room and found something out of place that my kids had no permission to touch. Alex (nearly 7) was standing there when I discovered the misdeed. I got disproportionately angry, probably because of a lot of recent failures to listen to and follow instructions, and I gave him a hard “Gibbs slap“. Alex then informed me that he was innocent, and that Joel was the perpetrator.

Oops.

I suddenly felt incredibly guilty. A contributor to, and consequence of, my anxiety and depression is my poorly-controlled temper, which I’ve struggled with for too long. Alex didn’t deserve that smack, and even he had been the troublemaker, my reaction would till have been excessive. I anxiously awaited a good opportunity for a proper apology.

A short time later ...

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Jul 27

I Have No Tears And I Must Cry

I painted this self-portrait about 18 years ago in the midst of one of my night terrors.

I painted this self-portrait about 18 years ago in the midst of one of my night terrors.

The title of this post is adapted from a Harlan Ellison short story called “I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream”. It’s a minimally edited amalgamation of thoughts I wrote in streams of consciousness at 4AM on June 27 and 3:30 AM on July 2 (with a few minor additions).

This is a very personal post, because it exposes some of my struggles with anxiety and depression. Mental health issues run through both sides of my family, and I’ve dealt with them to on and off for most of my life. I wasn’t diagnosed until 2002 (when I was 25), and I was only treated with counseling and medication briefly. I’ve been in a rough spot lately, and I’ve thought about seeking treatment. The commitments in my life make finding the time for therapy/counseling nigh ...

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May 08

The Art of War and Parenting

If it can apply to business, why not parenting?

If it can apply to business, why not parenting?

Miss me? Moving really upends your life, doesn’t it? Anyhow, I’ve thought about writing a new post a thousand times, and every time the thought came I’d be overwhelmed with feelings of futility and writer’s block. I finally decided I needed to write something – anything. So…

While I was unpacking from the move, I came across some notes for a blog post drawn from Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”.  When I first read it, I highlighted a lot of quotes and marked the pages they were on. Later, after almost 6 years of parenting, I stumbled on the book again and flipped through it. As I skimmed the highlighted quotes, it occurred to me that there might be some wisdom that could be applied to parenting. I mean, if it can be applied to office politics, corporate strategy, and ...

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May 08

The Art of War and Parenting

If it can apply to business, why not parenting?

If it can apply to business, why not parenting?

Miss me? Moving really upends your life, doesn’t it? Anyhow, I’ve thought about writing a new post a thousand times, and every time the thought came I’d be overwhelmed with feelings of futility and writer’s block. I finally decided I needed to write something – anything. So…

While I was unpacking from the move, I came across some notes for a blog post drawn from Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”.  When I first read it, I highlighted a lot of quotes and marked the pages they were on. Later, after almost 6 years of parenting, I stumbled on the book again and flipped through it. As I skimmed the highlighted quotes, it occurred to me that there might be some wisdom that could be applied to parenting. I mean, if it can be applied to office politics, corporate strategy, and ...

(Read the rest...)