Author Archives: watchwordsblog

Where we love is home- home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. Oliver Wendel Holmes, Sr. Meditation: Having immigrated to the US from Germany 24 years ago, I thought that the US had become my home, and in many ways it has. Most of the time I consider home where my husband,Continue reading “Where We Love Is Home”

To be with old friends is very warming and comforting. Ian Ziering Meditation: One of my oldest friends lives in Germany. We grew up together since kindergarten. I admired and loved her. She was an inspiration to me. When we left home to study, our connection became less intense, and when I immigrated to theContinue reading ““Being with Old Friends”…”

When you discover first love as a teenager, your whole life revolves around it and you open yourself up to it. Patrick Dempsey Meditation: When is it OK for our teenager daughters to start dating? This is the question that revealed to my husband and I once again that we come from different cultures, haveContinue reading ““The First Love of Teenagers”…”

When you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you. Susan Sarandon Meditation: I recently taught spiritual care students about family systems. I shared how we can develop empathy for our ancestors. To do so, we need to imagine and take into account the cultural and historic eventsContinue reading ““The Powers of Empathy”…”

The fruits of your labors may be reaped two generations from now. Trust, even when you don’t see the results. Henri Nouwen Meditation: When I think of our last President’s book “The audacity of hope” and of his many (now seemingly idealistic) statements, I sometimes feel discouraged. I feel even devastated when looking at theContinue reading ““Two Generations from now”…”

I think loss of loved ones is the hardest blow in life. Marlo Thomas Meditation: The experience after losing a loved one can feel like a long illness. It is a journey that leads us so deep into our own soul that we feel as if settling on the bottom of the ocean. We become emotionally unavailableContinue reading ““The Loss of a Loved One”…”

What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade. Gertrude Jekyll Meditation: The early summer days in the Southeast are lush, green, not yet asContinue reading ““Young Summer Days”…”

I never feel lonely if I’ve got a book – they’re like old friends. Even if you’re not reading them over and over again, you know they are there. And they’re part of your history. They sort of tell a story about your journey through life. Emilia Fox Meditation: My mother lives her life surroundedContinue reading ““A Book is a Friend”…”

The entire political system is contrary to everything a feminine heart stands for. It lacks inclusion. It lacks tenderness toward children. It lacks honor for relationships. It lacks reverence for the earth. It lacks love. And without those things, the feminine psyche disconnects. Marianne Williamson Meditation: Tenderness, inclusion, honor, reverence and love… these are the valuesContinue reading ““Disconnected and Dispirited”…”

I’m not an aging gracefully type. But I do believe in aging with grace. Danielle Steel Meditation: Our American society is obsessed with “aging gracefully”. Millions of dollars are being spent on looking younger. Sometimes all an aging person does is being obsessed about what others might think of his or her appearance. Surgeries areContinue reading ““Aging with Grace…””