Barbara’s Reflections

Memorial Day and the Waging of Peace
Memorial Day and Remembrance On Memorial Day, we remember. We remember war, death, and those we love. We […]

25 May, 2019 in Reflections on Holidays tagged Fred Rogers / Freedom / Love / Memorial Day / Peace / Statue of Liberty by Barbara Stevens

The Importance of Paying Attention
Coddling and Kindness Father Gregory Boyle, who welcomes hardened gang members into compassionate community through his nonprofit Homeboy […]

18 May, 2019 in Recovery Skills tagged Attention / Goodness / Listening / Love / Mr. Rogers by Barbara Stevens

Woman tossing a young boy into the air, showing love and joy, helping us have a healthy inner mother — The Enneagram and the Mother Within
Mothers on Display We were at the playground, my children running, sliding, and swinging, when I noticed shouting. […]

11 May, 2019 in Reflections on Holidays tagged change / Enneagram / Inner Mother / Mother's Day / Mothers / Self Love / Self-Acceptance by Barbara Stevens

Cinco de Mayo and World Laughter Day
Cinco de Mayo and Resilience Mexico lost the war, but won the battle. On May 5, 1862, with […]

4 May, 2019 in Scripture Study tagged Cinco de Mayo / Ecclesiastes / Grief / Laughter / Laughter Yoga / World Laughter Day by Barbara Stevens

A father tosses his daughter into the air, letting her fall - in the background, the sun is setting on the water — Falling Into Life
Trusting the Catcher Priest and author, Henri Nouwen, loved the circus. Once, while watching some trapeze artists perform, […]

27 Apr, 2019 in Spiritual and Emotional Themes tagged Faith / Falling / Flying / Henri Nouwen / letting go / loss / Trust by Barbara Stevens

Easter and Earth Day
Easter and Dominion I write this on the day before Easter. Tomorrow, Christians around the world will celebrate […]

20 Apr, 2019 in Political Events and Recovery tagged Climate Change / Earth Day / Easter / Jesus / Odin / Rapture / Transformtion by Barbara Stevens

A Ram with a large, rounded horn - the real hero of the binding of Isaac, like the goat who is the hero of passover — One Little Goat and A Ram
Passover and Chad Gadya Passover has started. Candles have been lit, prayers spoken, rituals performed, songs sung, questions […]

13 Apr, 2019 in Reflections on Holidays tagged Chad Gadya / Isaac / Never Again / Passover / Ram / The Real Hero by Barbara Stevens

Woman looking at red flowers, hiding her smile behind her hand - joy that is life and the opposite of evil — Evil, Idolatry, and Life
Paul and Religious Authority Nearly thirty years ago, when I started seminary, I read an article about the […]

6 Apr, 2019 in Scripture Study tagged choose life / Colossians / Evil / Love / Moral Foundation's Theory / Self-Righteousness by Barbara Stevens

Promises We Make, Break, and Renew
The First Covenant Some scholars argue that the first covenant God made was with Adam. This was not […]

30 Mar, 2019 in Spiritual and Emotional Themes tagged Covenant / Forgiveness / Oneness / Promises by Barbara Stevens

Robots, the Internet, and Humanity
Robots Among Us Your life might not be populated with whirring and clicking creatures motoring around your house, […]

23 Mar, 2019 in Spiritual and Emotional Themes tagged Artificial Intelligence / Empathy / Humanity / Robots by Barbara Stevens

An image of Benjamin Franklin's face on a hundred dollar bill with more money beneath it — The Treasure Within
Freedom Versus Money When I was younger, I chose freedom over money. This meant I could control my […]

16 Mar, 2019 in Spiritual and Emotional Themes tagged Abundance / Money / Poverty / Treasure by Barbara Stevens

mother plover hugging baby ray-hennessy-118049-unsplash optimized — The What and the Why of Love
Why Love? “What is love for?” That was the first question. It was a Sunday afternoon at the […]

9 Mar, 2019 in Spiritual and Emotional Themes tagged Love / transformation by Barbara Stevens