Soul care

I'm reading a powerfully profound book by Rachel Naomi Remen called My Grandfather's Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging. Remen is an MD who primarily counsels people with cancer. Her stories are short, usually two-three pages, but they pack a wallop. Reading them, I feel more grounded and more uplifted - at the same time.

Here are some quotes.

"The soul is not an idea or belief; it is an experience. It may awaken in us through dreams, music, art, or work or parenthood or sometimes for no reason at all. It overtakes us at times in the midst of daily life."

"Many times when we help we do not really serve. ... Seeing yourself as a fixer may cause you to see brokenness everywhere, to sit in judgment on life itself. When we fix others, we may not see their hidden wholeness or trust the integrity of the life in them. Fixers trust their own expertise. When we serve, we see the unborn wholeness in others; we collaborate with it and strengthen it. Others may then be able to see their wholeness for themselves for the first time."

"The process of turning pain into wisdom often looks like a sorting process. First we experience everything. Then one by one we let things go, the anger, the blame, the sense of injustice, and finally even the pain itself, until all we have left is a deeper sense of the value of life and a greater capacity to live it."

Can you tell me how to get...

...how to get to Sesame Street?

One of the best reasons to own a TV (see previous post of Oct. 21 for two other very excellent reasons), Sesame Street is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. I remember watching this show and I still am a sucker for puppets, muppets, and all things furry and talkative.

After all, I can relate to being grouchy (like Oscar), feeling like I don't fit in (like Big Bird), wanting nothing but cookies (do I really need to specify this one!), or to having good friends (like Bert and Ernie).

I hope the magic continues!

Recovered. (Mostly.)

Feeling much better now, after a full 10 days of a nasty, nasty cold virus. Yuck.

So, did I miss anything?

TV Crushes

TH and I are huge NCIS fans, and I seem to have developed a crush on McGee, the geeky/nerdy computer specialist played by Sean Murray.

Cutie-patootie

I also am not opposed to watching Simon Baker, who plays "psychic" Patrick Jane on The Mentalist.

Be still my heart

Who's your TV star crush?

Book Review

The Grift, by Debra Ginsberg

Marina Marks, a psychic by trade, suddenly becomes truly aware of her gift, but not after becoming entwined in the lives of several needy people. I enjoyed this book, with its combination of cynically hopeful and fragile characters, its safely spooky elements of dreams and visions, and its conflicted heroine. A mystery, a romance, and a view into the minds of people, it's also a really great read that I couldn't put down. Recommended!