Gayle

A Shift In The Spiritual Landscape

2025/02/27 Gayle 0

Recent studies reveal a significant shift in the spiritual landscape of the United States. While traditional religious affiliation has seen a decline, spirituality remains a vital aspect of many Americans’ lives. A Pew Research Center survey indicates that 86% of U.S. adults believe in the existence of a soul or spirit, 83% believe in God or a universal spirit, and 79% believe in something beyond the natural world. These statistics suggest that while organized religion may be waning, the quest for spiritual meaning persists. The Essence of Spirituality: Love At its core, spirituality is often intertwined with the concept of love—love for oneself, others, and the universe. This love transcends doctrinal boundaries and focuses on genuine connections and compassion. However, there’s a growing sentiment that The rest of the story

Share a Little Love

2025/02/14 Gayle 0

Valentine’s Day is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world, a day dedicated to expressions of love and affection. While often associated with romantic love, this day is an opportunity to reflect on the many ways love is present in our lives—love for family, friends, community, and even our pets. Love is not confined to one relationship or one type of expression; it is an expansive, divine gift woven into the very fabric of human existence. But how did Valentine’s Day come to be? And why is love such a central part of our spiritual and theological understanding? Let’s take a journey through history, explore some historical facts, and consider the theological foundations for love in all its forms. The Origins of The rest of the story

Taking Care of Your Mental Health in This Scary and Confusing Time

2025/02/06 Gayle 0

Right now, it feels like the world is on fire and sometimes it seems that I am on fire with it! My anger is boiling – perhaps because anger is an easy emotion for me. After all anger is a powerful emotion and I, an enneagram 8, Capricorn, can’t show weakness….perhaps that’s another blog post! It’s a dumpster fire of all dumpster fires We are barely 3 weeks post-inauguration and new administration and quite frankly it’s a dumpster fire of all dumpster fires! The U.S. is grappling with political unrest, economic uncertainty, climate crises, and the everyday struggles of just being human. Add in the never-ending scroll of social media, where every post is designed to provoke a reaction, and it’s no wonder so many of The rest of the story

Remembering Auschwitz: A Call for Vigilance in the Current Political Climate

2025/01/27 Gayle 0

I have said before that I am a fan of history! Especially US history around the Civil War and World War 2. I often have important but perhaps obscure dates noted in my calendar, as well as dates we history-buffs just remember. Today is one of those days! Each year, we pause on January 27th to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This solemn anniversary marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp, in 1945. It is a day to honor the memory of six million Jews and millions of other victims—including Romani people, disabled individuals, LGBTQ+ individuals, and political dissidents—who perished under the Nazi regime. I have very distinct memories of studying the holocaust in High School. Later of visiting the The rest of the story

The Path The World Is On

2025/01/25 Gayle 0

I have always been a fan of history – especially US History. I am drawn especially to two times in US history, the Civil War and World War 2. The first, I think because it happened on the lands where I have lived my life, The South, and I have an ancestor or two who fought in the war – on the wrong side, but that’s another story (although I adore, and always have the idea of being a rebel). I think my mother is the catalyst for my fascination with World War 2. She has vivid memories of being a young child when the war began and of the war effort, I believe it came in her formative years, which indeed formed her. In The rest of the story