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When Broken on the Road to Jericho

The problem with a man who falls among thieves on the Road to Jericho is that he can lose himself and forget who he is. Remember the one who was bound up and carried on someone else’s beast. He was laid in a bed and his wounds were washed and wrapped. His rent was paid and he was left in the care of the innkeeper while the Good Samaritan went on his way. The Good Samaritan had other business to tend to, after all. He hadn’t gone out that morning in search of a broken and beaten man on the Road to Jericho. He had been on the way to fulfill his own errand. Perhaps he had been on his way to market. He might have been on his way to see about his lands and cattle. Perhaps he had been on his way to a feast with friends. Whatever it was that took that Samaritan on down the road that day, he stopped and cared for a wounded man that had been left for dead by both a Priest and a Levite (after having already been robbed and beaten). Who could blame him for continuing on his way to live his lif...
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The Poor Sister and the Wealthy

Once upon a time, there were two sisters who lived on the edge of a great wood. One sister lived in a house that was built of red bricks and her house was filled with fine things money can buy. The other sister lived just down the lane, on the far side of a meadow, beside a brook, in a house made of logs, mud and thatch. Her house was filled with "gifts." One of the sisters was wealthy and the other was poor. One fine morning, the sister who lived in the red brick house noticed a tear in the corner of her best tablecloth. She decided it would be wise to repair it quickly, before the cloth deteriorated further. "A stitch in time saves nine, after all," she thought to herself, so off she hurried to market to purchase a spool of golden thread with which to mend it. Soon, she was back home and ready to mend her tablecloth, but as she came to it, she saw that the golden thread she had purchased wasn't quite right to match what had been used to make the cloth in ...
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Things I Hope I’ve Taught My Children By Sally Blackburn

1. Make your life's choices based on principles, not feelings. Feelings change and sometimes lie. Trust principles, not feelings. 2. A grateful heart is the key to happiness. Always say "thank you" more than once (especially to Heavenly Father). 3. If you struggle to be grateful, imagine a situation worse than the one you're in (things CAN always get worse), and be grateful that didn't happen. 4. If you cannot be pleasant, be silent. Nothing is so miserable that complaining can't make things worse. 5. Be proactive, not reactive. Nobody has the remote control to you or your feelings. You are in control of yourself. 6. Remember the glory of God is intelligence, and knowledge is power. Be a lifelong learner of good and uplifting things. Remember the greatest knowledge you'll ever gain will come directly from your Heavenly Father through the Spirit of Truth. 7. Use your power, talents and gifts to bless and lift others. Don't be afraid to share; stage-frig...
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Exercise and Inner Self

My Navy daughter had some concerns about spending two weeks with family before she left for her next duty station. At the top of her list was the need to be near a gym while she was on leave so she could keep up with her two-hour daily workout schedule. Not only does she want to keep fit for work, but if she doesn’t work out six days a week for two hours every day, she feels anxious, sort of depressed and generally uncomfortable and unhappy. I hadn’t noticed quite so much until one of her little sisters mentioned it, but she thinks about exercise throughout the day and talks about it a lot. When you come from a family of alcoholics on one side and a family of 400lb women on the other side, like I do, you benefit from knowing something about how addictions manifest. For whatever reasons (environment, genetics or a combination of those and other factors), some of us get hooked more easily than others. Distinguishing between normal, healthy indulgences and addictions can be tricky for the...
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Altruistic Resolve

Soon we’ll cross the imaginary line that distinguishes 2020 from 2021. The coming of a new year is usually a time when we set goals or rededicate ourselves to resolutions we made last year (and maybe didn’t reach). This year however, for the first time since we collectively worried our computers would crash at midnight Y2K, some of us aren’t necessarily looking excitedly forward to the coming New Year’s Day. With uncertainties over the economy, the pandemic, employment, housing issues and politics, many Americans fear the coming of 2021 will bring more of the same difficulties that plagued 2020. Though we often fear the unknown, this time around we’re afraid we might see more of what’s become all too familiar. If you find yourself struggling to get excited about the coming new year, try shifting your focus away from the run-of-the-mill resolutions you might have made. Instead, determine to focus your purpose on altruistic goals. Altruistic resolutions are those with concentration on se...
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Traditions, Words and Gifts

I received a text message Saturday evening: “What do you want for Christmas?” My reply: “I want the wrong to fail, the right to prevail and for there to be peace on earth.” The response: “I don’t think I can get you that or make that happen.” The message continued, expressing hope for various LEGO® themed building sets (in case I have Santa connections, I guess). As I thought about the question and my answer, my eyes were drawn to the twinkling lights of our little Christmas tree reflected in the wrapping paper of the presents thereabout. I thought about all of the money spent on gifts over the 33 years of my ongoing mother-related life’s experiences. I remembered some of the biggest, most expensive gifts, wondering how valuable they really were. I see now that the most expensive gifts aren’t the best I gave. The best gifts are memories: Making special cookies and taking them to loved ones on Thanksgiving Day; being the first Christmas carolers wishing them Merry Christmas. The best in...
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Presently Connected

I recently had occasion to visit with a young woman who has become so skilled at disconnecting when she feels upset, that she can’t remember some of the important milestones in her life. As a likely response to the ongoing problems in her childhood home, years ago she developed a coping mechanism which helped to protect her from the unpredictable and ongoing cycles of volatility in her relationship with one of her parents (and the fear resultant from that insecurity). The problem with emotional disconnect in children is that, if left unaddressed, it can become the go-to method for dealing with stress later in adult life, and sometimes this happens without anyone noticing, even the person dissociating. In severe cases, dissociative personality disorder can develop which puts the individual at increased risk for a multitude of associated adverse mental and physical health conditions, including relationship problems. Dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder and depersonalizati...
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