Category Archives: Spiritual Practice

Breaking Through the Clouds

One dark, cloudy day, I was flying with my father, an Air Force pilot and flight instructor, in his single engine Cessna.  I wondered to myself why he would fly in this weather. Then he climbed the plane through the … Continue reading

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Moment by Moment Clarity

When I got the news, I immediately panicked. It was early morning, ten minutes before 6:00 am and, phone in hand, I was told about my father’s heart attack. I could not enjoy a cup of tea or even my … Continue reading

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The Power of Respect

The Tao Te Ching tells us that “Those who would lead wisely must first respect life.” (Dreher, 1996, p. 63). A major principle of the Tao is respect: for ourselves, for one another, for life itself. Since the Tao Te … Continue reading

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Nurture

He was working carefully, his hands inspecting the rose bush with tenderness, here and there his eyes checking for any disease that might prevent its blossoming. Gazing at the hedge roses, my friend simply said, “nurture them.” A week later … Continue reading

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The Challenge of Forgiveness

“To understand everything is to forgive everything.” Buddha One of the most difficult challenges you might encounter in your life is forgiving those who hurt you without necessarily forgetting the events of the past. I was thinking about this during one … Continue reading

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Attitudes and Energies

Unlike the old mechanistic model of organizations where leaders give orders and treat people like replaceable parts, leading mindfully means focusing on underlying processes, recognizing the energies within and around us. Much of this involves our attitudes, the subtle energies … Continue reading

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The Lesson of Living Systems

In a period of tremendous challenge and change, an innovative book on leadership appeared with lessons that can serve us well today. The Tao Te Ching, written over 25 centuries ago during the warring states period in ancient China¸ affirms … Continue reading

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The Wizard of Oz

One of the first books I read when I was a child was The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It sparked vividly in my imagination, the story of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion being encouraged by Dorothy … Continue reading

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Finding Hope in Dark Times

The flowering quince blossoms by my front gate bring their bright beauty to the darkness of winter. Why do these small blossoms affect me so deeply, more than the profusion of wildflowers, honeysuckle, and roses on long summer days?  When … Continue reading

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Serenity

This week you had nothing but difficult emails, misplaced anger, reactivity that made situations impossible to manage. You tried to bring  a little of common sense but the wave of frustration swallows you up and all of a sudden you … Continue reading

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