Religion

I grew up like many, drawing a heart as the symbol of love. I still see it today in many drawings, cards and advertisements. The heart is the place where love resides. However, in the church that I attended when I was young, although...

There are times in life when we find ourselves called from seasons of relative peace and tranquility into what we know will be a time of unknown storm. Sometimes the storm chooses us. Sometimes we choose the storm.  As we navigate our way forward, we...

The Dhammapada is a Buddhist text that is believed to record the actual words of the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Guatama, better known as the Buddha. It is a collection of sayings of the Buddha. Verse 131 teaches, “All living beings seek happiness.” Throughout our...

If you have to leave your home quickly, what would you bring? For some of us, this is not a theoretical question. Recent floods and past fires have necessitated speedy departures for safety. Thousands of years ago, the Jews left quickly from slavery in...

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we seem to be in a bubble of more open-minded thinking and inclusion. There are other places, regions and states that seem to be filled with fear of the outsider and suspicion of neighbors of different ethnicity, national...

Egyptians call it Om al Donia, the mother of all nations. If you ask an Egyptian why, he or she will give a full list from the oldest civilization to the best falafel sandwich you will ever have! Here is my interpretation why Egypt has...

When March 1 arrives, I always think of spring. I know that the official start of spring is later in the month of March, but for me spring is here at the beginning of March. I grew up in the south, and when March...

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And He fasted for forty days and forty nights.”  Mathew 4: 1-2 The recent appearance of actor Mark Wahlberg with his “40 Day Challenge” on NBC’s Today morning...

I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Paris, France back in November 2008. My friend and I spent a day in the city on a tour bus, driving past many recognizable locations. One of those locations was Notre Dame. The bus...

In the summer of 1975, my friends and I built a treehouse in a large tree located in an open field near our homes. This was the best place to be a kid. All of the neighborhood hung out there. During that same summer, there...