The Power of Our Attitude
The American philosopher/psychologist William James (1842-1910) wrote, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.” I first came across these words as a young college student, and I have never forgotten them. My life-long experience (or I should say my long-life experience!) has reinforced […]
Praying for Our Caregivers
Today’s reflection focuses on caregivers–especially those individuals who are unpaid for providing care for loved ones with serious medical issues. In order to appreciate these caregivers, we need to look at a few statistics. In the US alone, there are 63 million families (1 in 4 adults) serving as caregivers for an adult or child […]
Why Do We Make Promises?
I was thinking about promises recently. Here are a few thoughts on the question, “Why do we make promises?” The dictionary says a promise is “an agreement to do or not to do something.” Generally speaking, there are good promises and bad ones. In short, a good promise (to care for or help someone) is […]
The Nature Conservancy: Celebrating 75 Years
By chance, I came across the Fall 2026 issue of Nature Conservancy Magazine. The cover proclaimed, “Celebrating 75 Years.” I thought, certainly this milestone deserves a post on my blog, a blog that regularly promotes and celebrates various aspects of nature such as: water, trees, seeds, flowers, the sun, the moon, sea turtles, and Jesus’ […]
September 8th: Mary’s Birthday
September 8th is the feast of “The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” In other words, it’s Mary’s birthday. This day, commemorated by the Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Churches, dates back to the 5th and 6th Centuries. Of course, we don’t know the actual date of Mary’s birthday. It could be September 16th (my birthday!) […]
Need a Smile?
Today’s reflection is for anyone who needs a smile right now–or a little laugh. Here are some amusing items I’ve come across within the past few months. I, for one, believe that laughter is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Laughter is not only good for our cardiovascular system, it is good for helping […]
Stories for Children and Children at Heart
As many of you know, I love children’s stories. When I finished my term in community leadership, I signed up for two classes as a “reward” for my service. The first was a course at our local seminary entitled “The Psalms and Wisdom Literature in the Bible.” The teacher, Fr. Larry Tosco, was superb! The […]
In Praise of Curiosity
We’ve all heard the proverb: “Curiosity killed the cat.” Yet I remember what my mother always added: “But satisfaction brought it back to life again!” So, which is it? Is curiosity something dangerous and should be avoided? Or is it something life-giving and should be encouraged and even nourished? What does the Bible say? The […]
What is Meant by Spirituality?
The full title of my blog is “Sunflower Seeds: Celebrating Everyday Spirituality.” Today I’d like to explore that word spirituality. In my book, Traits of a Healthy Spirituality, I say this about my use of that word. Spirituality is our essential outlook on life, the way we perceive reality. Spirituality also includes our responses to […]
Who Are the Helpers?
(Note: On my blog, I occasionally feature other peoples’ writing–such as their poems, excerpts from their books, or interviews with them. Today’s reflection is written by Sister Valerie Sweeney, SND, a good friend of mine. Her reflection grew out of a conversation we had recently.) Many of us are probably familiar with what Mr. Fred […]