I swear I had nothing to do with it ending this way. It just so happened that on the last Saturday of my August Birthday Month of Abundance, I completed a two-year rewatch of the 2004-2010 ABC series Lost. I joined up when I discovered The Storm Podcast was...
When I suggest that teams adopt rituals as part of their meetings, gatherings or practices, I get perplexed, awkward, uncomfortable stares back at me. I imagine the reasons for those strained looks varies from person to person, team to team. I’m guessing that much of...
Complicated feelings have been part of Memorial Day since its inception. Being a church nerd who loves ritual, I searched for the origin story of Memorial Day recently. Within seconds, (Thank you, interwebs!) I found a fascinating article about how David Blight, a...
She was my great grandmother, Canceda Reed, responsible for my patent leather shoes and annual Easter bonnet. She is the one who made sure I was properly prepared for Saturday afternoon church teas in the basement with mints, butterscotch and a balled up dollar in my...
Leaving my car in the outer reaches of the enormous parking lot, I walked for what seemed like blocks toward the end of the line — wherever that was. Several other people were walking near me, craning their necks trying to catch a glimpse of where they should take a...
https://youtu.be/nlz9yo3kkvM This just might be the best Birthday Month. Ever. Seriously. Who would have thought that - in a pandemic - my birthday month could have reached this level of awesomeness. Not even I. When I launched my Birthday Month of Connections, I...
Recently I led a team-building activity for a management team at a health care company. I led this relatively new team in creating a team ritual that would help them spread positivity among the teams they lead. We used some craft supplies and items from the recycling...
When my teenage angst raged in my late teens, I summarily dismissed the Roman Catholic faith in which I had been raised. I thought all the adults sitting in mass each week were just there out of habit or obligation. Through my limited teenage experience, I saw no...
Most days, I masquerade as a perfectly normal Mainline Protestant. Phrases like “priesthood of all believers,” “saved by faith alone” and “congregational meeting” roll off my tongue like honey. I’m just fine with there being only two Sacraments. I creatively mold...
Confession time: I never went to church camp. Unlike many, many of my Protestant sisters and brothers, (I was raised Roman Catholic.) I have no frame of reference for that quintessential summer experience that inspires as many conversions as it does hook-ups. When my...
I’ve never related to the style of middle children. Being born an oldest child, I prefer to direct and lead rather than hold hands and make peace. I’ve been known to roll my eyes at people who cajole and coddle that one person who threatens to leave a group when they...
“Are you Nicole?” Josh Drew, my tattoo artist said as I walked through the door of Lasting Impressions, the Des Moines, IA tattoo shop that would become my home for the next several hours. My stomach was doing slightly nervous flip flops even as I walked breezily...