I love Christmas. Everyone has his or her own memories of Christmas as a child, and I am no exception. Christmas in our house was incredibly special. My mother was dubbed early on by my family the “Queen of Christmas.” She would decorate the house with greens, holly, and a huge variety of glass ornaments she [...]
Istanbul, the ancient Constantinople, is at once a magical place and a dark, shadowy, place. As most ancient cities go, its history is filled with human strife and suffering—and clearly evil and vile acts upon humanity by power hungry, fear-filled, leaders. Istanbul is no exception. But it is also magical, with its grand human achievement [...]
The last of the Great Siberian Husky Clan has died this week. Bobo was put to peaceful sleep on Thursday, September 15, almost a year to the day that his dear mother, Neli, died. I miss him terribly, just as I had missed his mother…but maybe more. Bobo is the last of a string of dogs [...]
This is a huge topic and I will only touch on it here. What is truly exciting about it is that even scientific studies have shown prayer to be effective. I say “even scientific studies” because I am not a real fan of trying to prove the existence of God, or of soul, or spirit, [...]
The other day I began research on a new book I am writing tentatively titled “Divine Mediocrity: Being Happy With the Life You’ve Got.” I was intrigued by an Internet article I read about spiritual bypass, and had contrasted that reading experience with a recent re-look at the infamous little film “The Secret.” I was a [...]
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. " —Anatole France I lost one of my beloved dogs this weekend. Her name was Neli (short for Cyberia’s Nelidova), she was a red Siberian Husky, she was 11 years old, and she was my sweetheart. She and her son, Bobo, have been [...]
Have you ever reached for something so difficult to grasp you nearly fell over or felt like you would snap from stretching so hard? It is easy to become blinded by our desire for something. Not just material things, but things like relationships, success, and happiness.
I am curious. What do you think of this video? Mind you, it IS an advertisement for this fellow's new book, so bear that in mind. But what do you think of what he is basically saying here? I have an awful lot to say about this, and in upcoming posts I will. Take the crop [...]
History has taught us that the Biblical Moses was a very wise man. Few of us, however, may be familiar with another wise fellow named Khidr. Moses met Khidr very long ago and asked to be a student of this venerable master. Khidr agreed and the two of them set out on a journey of sorts [...]
Recently a very close friend of mine had quite a traumatic experience. Something happened in his life that he believed to be entirely his fault and due to his lack of responsibility and short sightedness. The results were tragic. He is now devastated and does not know how he can go on without always being reminded of something that he feels he should have averted. This is a story that most of us can tell about moments in our own life. Most of us, if not all of us, have regretted an action, or a non-action, which resulted in a tragic outcome. Some have formidable ghosts haunting them when the tragedy is just too great to accept.
