By truly being present, physically and emotionally to people I meet throughout the day. However brief and mundane an interaction with another human being may appear, it’s an encounter and opportunity to learn, however short the time may be, a bit about their world too, and not just an exchange that is orchestrated to meet my needs only.

Maybe it’s just me, but to answer today’s question for some reason feels like boasting or bragging and it makes me uneasy. I make it my mission to go with the strengths that I have every day, in words and deeds, and leave it at that. My maker knows who and what I am, and I can only hope and pray that the grace and presence of the Spirit itself helps to guide and shape my values.

By paying attention, and being who I am.

Ah, but the presence of thorns makes the roses more beautiful, do they not? I don’t try to eliminate or not see thorns, I just make it my mission to know where they are to avoid getting pricked so that I can get closer to the roses themselves. By then I have earned the right to take in the fragrance.

Whenever I read stories or view videos of persons of persons who have overcome monumental challenges related to physical challenges, or social discrimination, and somehow manage to soar to once thought unimaginable accomplishments, these stories always inspire me to quit complaining about this or that, get moving, and treasure all that I have in life.

By living my own life fully, each and every day.

That said, my mind and heart turns to the victims of the tragic school shooting in Florida this past week and their many grieving family members and friends. The “great fullness” of their lives has been crushed out forever. It seems to me that every time mankind turns on itself, from wars to rage, it chips away at the fullness of our own collective humanity.

My vision of a better world, beginning with my own country, would be a government that builds schools faster than it builds bombs; that it attends first and foremost to the demonstrated needs of its citizens as its primary responsibility; and that it behave on the world stage as a model of peaceful diplomacy over coercion and might.

As for “things,” those that serve as tools or enrich my life in some way, I am grateful for having them and strive to avoid having them in excess. Beyond that, they’re just “things,” and I try to remember that.

In the people department, I treasure them most by being wholly present to them now, right now and not tomorrow or the day after, because life is ever changing and we simply never know…

Cecilia, this is a touching, tender, and relevant story on life’s journey impacting us all. Thank you.

For the most part and throughout my life thus far, every single one of my most basic needs has always been met. I have a great deal to be grateful for and I try to make it my practice never to forget that.

I would say that art, in all its varied forms, mirrors that of life itself. Appreciating art helps many to create art and I’ve never met an artist who didn’t also appreciate the art of others in one form or another. For me, seeing and “feeling” art, visually, emotionally and spiritually is a treasured gift of the human experience itself.

Right now, before dawn every day! Since I was a teenager working on farms, I have always been a very early riser and still am today. The earlier in the day it is the more creative I am. It’s peaceful, the house is quiet, no phones are ringing and even our dog Gracie, after getting up with me so she can go outside and pee, goes back upstairs to continue sleeping with my wife!

One of our daughters was traveling with work and got stranded due to a two-day snowstorm in a city halfway across the continent. There, she had a medical emergency, got hospitalized, then stabilized, and released and somehow managed to make a 7 AM flight out to return home. Knowing she’s now back home with her husband, that’s a worry that has been put to rest, thank goodness.

I do not believe that I take anyone for granted, actually. And to ask such a question in this way, in such absolute terms, implies, or at least feels to me anyway, that the voice behind the question expects the worst of humanity to be manifest in us all. That in itself is a negative judgment and proclamation.

I express gratitude, hopefully, with my voice, my actions and my heart.

Thank you, Aine, this is helpful to receive. I have often prayed that Mr. Trump’s heart would soften. That’s about as far as I’ve gotten! But I agree, praying for people who seem despicable on many fronts is a gift I give myself regardless of the outcome.

I am familiar with Anne Lamott’s work, but should revisit it again for sure. Thanks, K.

Indeed, Aine….what’s the saying? “Your babies are your babies even when they have gray hair.” Thanks for you note, all is well on that front now.

Amen to that, Ose! And I too, can’t wait for spring! You’ll laugh….I bought my wife this really cool birdhouse that hangs on a long pole as part of her birthday gift last November. Last month during what I thought was a decent thaw, I tried to place the pole in a spot outside her home office window where she would see it. I got two inches into the ground and hit solid icy frost! So much for that idea! Guess that’s why they call it springtime, because now isn’t it!