“As we decide what to give to others for Christmas this year, why not consider the gift of forgiveness?” This from friend and colleague Tim Mitchinson writing in the Peoria Journal-Star in Illinois about the benefits – including to health – of forgiveness. He quotes Christian healer Mary Baker Eddy, who met wrongs with kindness
Writing in the Huffington Post ‘Healthy Living’ Blog, Sharon Frey McElroy examines how abuse victim Ben Bosinger learned to let go of years of resentment toward his father. And she shares how she was able to forgive a couple of fellows at a cafe that upset her by talking about women in a derogatory way. McElroy then shares
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Images of the category EF-5 tornado that went through portions of Oklahoma on Monday and the trail of destruction it left behind can be disturbing to watch. And, as in the case of other recent tragedies, such as hurricane Sandy, the Newtown massacre and the Boston Marathon bombing, our hearts yearn for everyone involved to find comfort and peace, along with any needed provisions.
Perhaps we recognize familiar sentiments from these words of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah when he wrote in the book of Lamentations¹ about devastation:
A guest post written by Ingrid Peschke, a Christian Science practitioner and a legislative advocate for spiritual healing in Massachusetts. You can also read this post on her weekly syndicated blog, “Health Conscious” at MetroWest Daily News.
Ingrid Peschke (Photo courtesy of Ingrid Peschke)
Hope.
That’s the word I came away with this past weekend after I took part in a panel discussion on the topic of “Spirit and Healing in the 21st Century” at the Open Spirit Center in Framingham. The motto for the center: “A place of hope, health, and harmony” to address the deeper spiritual yearnings of the wider community.
I joined four local spiritual leaders on the panel, along with two keynote speakers: a clinical psychologist with a specialization in health psychology, and a cancer survivor.
A repeating theme was that spiritual practice is incredibly important, if not vital, to healing. Nancy Gaulin, the psychologist, opened the 3-hour event, speaking from her twelve years of experience in the greater Boston area. She said she spends more time now asking her patients about their spirituality and exploring their beliefs, their morals and values, and even discussing their family upbringing–all contributing factors to health and well-being.
Another holiday season is upon us. It’s supposed to be a joyous and festive time. But unfortunately for many, this season may come with feelings of loneliness or depression. There is, however, a spiritual solution for this.
A recent study¹ by the University of Michigan Health System published in Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing found that a nondenominational spiritual retreat could increase hope and reduce depression.
This got me to thinking of how beneficial it would be to have a “mini” spiritual retreat of sorts each day – a time to be calm and to think – to think of something good in our lives, to feel love for family and friends, to look beyond ourselves, focus on the connections we do have and to kindly consider others – a time to be quiet and to listen for inspiration.
This video below showed me that the Christmas story can be told in the language of today’s Social Media and still share the same message.
So here’s a question: does something have to be new and popular to be relevant?