Spirituality & Love

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The Shadow-side of Assimilation

The Shadow-side of Assimilation

by | Oct 24, 2023 | ,

TJ Klune writes in “The House in the Cerulean Sea” about magical children who are segregated from society because their differences are seen as dangerous and in need of regulation and prescribed assimilation. Thomas Page McBee writes in Amateur, a memoir of his journey as a transgender male: “It is not easy to face the long shadow of assimilation in the United States, which is as old as the nation itself.  It is so much a part of our national history to pretend to be what we are not in our striving that many of us no longer see what we have lost.”

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Traveling Graces

Traveling Graces

by | Oct 17, 2023 |

About eighteen months ago, a new friend wished me “traveling mercies” as Geraldine and I were heading off on a trip. I had not heard the term before and wondered what she meant. At first, I thought it was a prayer for gentleness and compassion for self and traveling companions when the inevitable travel fatigue and resulting crankiness occur.  But I came to appreciate that traveling mercies were more than that – they were graces or blessings that occur during travel. And they often remind us of how much love and grace there is in our life every day.

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Recovery, Love and Community

Recovery, Love and Community

by | Sep 26, 2023 | ,

September is National Recovery Month. Granted, Recovery Month is less well-known than Black History Month or Gay Pride Month. I almost missed it again this year, but for a friend who mentioned it.  Last week in reflecting on the Celebration of Life for my brother John, I commented on the sense of community at the gathering of his friends and our family.  More specifically I commented on the love in the room and how my ability to see, feel and give love continues to grow as I age.

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Celebrating Life, a Community and Love

Celebrating Life, a Community and Love

by | Sep 19, 2023 |

A recent reading at a Sunday worship service focused on the simple principle: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” You don’t have to be a churchgoer or believer to learn this principle. Some call it the golden rule – “Do unto others…”. A friend had a similar saying: “What goes around, comes around.” My brother John died recently. Reflecting on John’s life and legacy has broadened my perspective on the golden rule and how love grows.

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All My Relations

All My Relations

by | Sep 12, 2023 |

We are sitting on a large piece of driftwood nestled into the sand at San Josef Bay near the northernmost tip of land on Vancouver Island.  Clouds of rain have come and gone most of the day until a small, postage-stamp sized piece of blue sky opens up.   An osprey seizes the moment to rise into the air and begin its fishing expedition along the Bay.  Its flight is a joyous sight.  Soaring with each breeze it stops to hover by rapidly flapping its broad white wings.  Suddenly it shape shifts into a darted missile and dives down into the churning sea and emerges scant seconds later with a wriggling piece of silver clenched in its talons.  And then disappears.

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Lessons from Letting Go and Death

Lessons from Letting Go and Death

by | Sep 5, 2023 |

This post is a hard one to write. I don’t want to write. I really don’t want to do anything. I signed off from Critical Conversations 3 weeks ago reluctantly. I have posted weekly ever since I began three years ago. In my quiet time before that decision, a couple of things were occurring. I was reminded regularly that making space for silence and listening for the voice of the Spirit or Divine Love made my life simpler.

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My Heroes Journey

My Heroes Journey

by | Jul 25, 2023 | ,

Joseph Campbell wrote about the “Heroes Journey.” In it, life is referenced as a journey wherein we may have very different heroes to propel us forward. When I think of heroes, three people come to mind.   I’ll tell you about them because they shaped my life’s work for social justice, as well as guiding my retirement years.

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Transgender people are created by God

Transgender people are created by God

by , | Jun 6, 2023 | ,

I have had limited interaction with transgender people. I became more aware when personal pronouns became more present in communications. Over the past couple of years, I have come to know people who have changed their gender. I have heard maternity ward nurses say they could tell at birth that a baby’s given gender and intended gender were not aligned.  Friends who are parents have shared of having their teen transform grief and self-destructive behavior into joy and relief when their gender affirmation was complete.

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How does one measure a life in ways other than a year?

How does one measure a life in ways other than a year?

by | May 30, 2023 |

How does one measure a life in ways other than a year? The annual journey of the earth around the sun is the accepted standard way of counting out time.  But along the way, there are many events that colour our vision backwards into the passages of time. And a lot of living and loving. And now nearing 75, birthdays come and go with such increasing regularity that I seem to have lost touch. Still, it is so good to celebrate life and reminisce now and then.

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About Tom Adams

Tom AdamsTom Adams writes and speaks on topics vital to the intersection of our personal lives with our community and global lives. He has for decades been engaged in and written about nonprofit leadership and transitions, spirituality and spiritual growth, how we each contribute to a more just and equitable world and recovery from addictions and the Twelve Step recovery movement.