It’s been a tough week or so for me, and I assume for others as well. So I just wanted to share this encouraging message from NJ Senator Cory Booker. I was planning to be in New Jersey this weekend for a wedding, but circumstances made it such that I chose to stay home to … More Thanks to a Senator Who Knows How Hard It Is For Us All To Keep Speaking Out
I’m sure I’m not the only one who cried when I heard the news that Dolly Parton had crossed the rainbow bridget last week. She was, of course, a great singer/songwriter/musician/performer. But I think she was an even better all-around person. She was strong and brave and hard working who was an incredible success in … More Motivational Music Monday, Dolly Edition
So my plan was to publish my earlier post yesterday, but I didn’t get it done due to some other commitments. But I had been planning this week’s Motivational Music Monday since Saturday, so I didn’t want to miss it. This week’s edition was inspired by a friend of mine who was going through a … More Motivational Music Monday: Not Alone Edition
Happy Semiquincentennial, Everyone! First, I apologize for the long gap in posting. I was just teaching so much in April-June, plus lots of family and other things going on, that I just didn’t have the time or energy or mindset to post on the blog. I teach in a year-round school, so classes just ended … More How I Spent July 4 (or, How I Learned to Stop Trump Derangement Syndrome and Love the Semiquincentennial)
This quote adorns the wall in the YA section of the Cary Regional Library. As much as I go to that library–usually weekly–I’m still inspired by it every time. It’s from the movie version of The Two Towers, the second movie in the Peter Jackson’s adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series. It’s … More Remembering What Matters on Memorial Day
My spiritual center is more nondemoninational–or unidominational. I don’t really consider myself a “Christian,” but I do honor Christ as a Master Teacher. We had a great service yesterday talking about how the whole Easter story is a great teaching tool for when we are going through tough challenges, seeming failure or “death,” and then … More Motivational Monday Music: Easter Edition
This weekend I went to the Mass People’s Assembly organized by Repairers of the Breach and led by Rev. William Barber. The theme of the event, which was held on Valentine’s Day, was “Love Forward Together.” It was a fantastic gathering that I will be talking about in another post. So it is the source … More Motivational Music Monday: Love Forward Together Edition
Today, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein declared it was Walk for Peace Day in our state. For today, the Venerable Monks who are undertaking a long-distance spiritual pilgrimage across a portion of the United States arrived in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. The pilgrims are Buddhist monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center … More The Walk for Peace Came to the Triangle Area of NC–and I Was There!
Last week, I wrote about how I had spent the week before trying to follow Heather Cox Richardson’s encouragement to do all we can to “Fight Back With Fierce Joy” against the Trump administration’s many illegal, unconstitutional, and authoritarian policies and practices. If you missed it, you can find out more about that at: https://blissfullu.com/2026/01/12/fight-back-with-fierce-joy/. … More Fight Back With Fierce Joy (FBWFJ #2)
Yesterday, I led a meditation for our spiritual center’s service based on something I had read from the Rev. William Barber. Rev. Barber is one of the spiritual leaders based in North Carolina, but actually serving the entire county. In addition to being a Pastor at Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, NC from 1993 to … More Motivational Music Monday: MLK Edition
