“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”  MLK Valentine’s Day  is just around the corner. But how exactly did this custom or celebration start?  There are several explanations, all of which date back to thousands of years ago. One tells the story of a priest named Valentine who was incarcerated for aiding persecuted Christians. He was executed on February 14 circa 270 AD  because he defied the Roman emperors’ ruling at the time which banned all marriages and engagements in efforts to garner more soilders in the army. Others believe…

“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present. “ – Albert Camus When I hear the phrase “killing time,” I oftentimes find myself curling my lips in disapproval …Really? …Why would you want to kill time? Difficult life experiences have taught me that time is too precious to “kill.” For this reason, the idiom doesn’t sit well with me. According to Webster’s dictionary “killing time” means “to spend time doing something while one is waiting.” It is thought the expression appeared during the Civil War to describe what soldiers would do in order to detach themselves…

Among the many people who lost their lives in the last year was an 86-year old man in Atlanta known as the “Baby Whisperer.” He earned the name after volunteering for many years at his local hospital. Following retirement from the sales field, he decided to undergo training in order to help premature and sick newborns thrive. The work, among other things, consisted of gently cradling the precious newborns while their parents were not there. Notably he would say the effect on him was greater than what he thought it had on them. This man’s story made me, once again,…

“The amen of nature is always a flower.” O. W. Holmes When I first arrived in Virginia, I had the chance to meet a lady who is an avid gardener. She proudly showed me her garden and handed me a remarkable beauty called the passiflora, more commonly known as the passion flower. While admiring it I meditated upon the lessons flowers can teach us about focusing on the self and living each day mindfully. You might think focusing on yourself is selfish. After all, narcissism has become so prevalent nowadays. Yet what I’m referring to is different from self-absorption or…

A couple of days ago, I met with a good friend and we chatted on about life, love and family. We talked about the joys and difficulties of relationships, and about how difficult it can be when those dreaded moments arrive, moments that take you out of your comfort zone. The upcoming holidays this year will certainly take the majority of people out of their comfort zone. One may even feel one’s loyalty towards family is tested. Questions such as … ”Is it safe to gather as we do every year? “ “Will Grandma feel offended if we don’t invite…

Fall has always been my favorite time of year, a season with unparalleled beauty. Ironically, the splendor I see, the variety of shapes and textures combined with a spectrum of warm colors, leads unforgivingly to death. Yes, as my husband bluntly says “the leaves are dying.” But what causes the leaves to change color and form, or as my husband says, to die? During this process, chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down, which causes the green colors to disappear, and yellow and red to become visible. Chlorophyll is an important molecule in plants. In fact, natural medicine enthusiasts tout the…