Today is the winter solstice (when I wrote this; not necessarily when you get it!), which marks a turning point as the darkest day of the year and the start of the returning light. Even as the demands of the holiday season (shopping, parties, obligatory events) tend to draw us outside of ourselves, this time of year is a great time to turn inward and reflect on what has enriched us in the past year. I spent a great deal of time in 2011 delving into Brene Brown (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr= Read more

I am gripped by the images coming out of the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia) right now. Up to 2000 children are dying daily and millions of people are at risk due to the current drought-- the worst the region has seen in 60 years. The political situation in Somalia makes the crisis even more acute and life-threatening there. It's easy to sit back or turn away when we are faced with suffering on a massive scale like this. But each of us can make a difference by giving to ai Read more