On Being’s Omid Safi offers a reflection on “How to Reach Out to Someone Who Is Struggling.” He writes (excerpt): So if you are that saintly soul, if you want to reach out to someone who is struggling to stay…
Best practices: empathy skills for understanding human beings
CNN Health helps us with our empathy for others. Kristen Rogers writes (excerpt): When you’re talking with someone, try to imagine what her life is like for her. Read his body language and utilize reflective or active listening, of which…
Sacredness: every human life
Pope Francis’ Message on George Floyd (excerpt): My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life. At the same time, we…
Do our children hear our silence?
CNN reminds us that we teach our children by what we do and what we don’t do. And what do we say about race in America? Jennifer Harvey writes (excerpt): When we remain quiet, telling ourselves the unlikelihood of changing…
Grand Rapids Magazine’s 2020 Top Lawyers: Peer Review and Rating of David C. Sarnacki
David C. Sarnacki has been selected to Grand Rapids Magazine’s 2020 list of Top Lawyers. He was chosen by a vote of local judges and attorneys, and his selection will be published in the December 2020 issue of Grand Rapids…
Hope and patience in life’s uncertainties
In his Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote: Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a…
Michigan’s FAQs about Custody and Parenting Time During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Michigan has issued guidance for parents with custody and parenting time orders. Matters addressed include: Do I have to follow my parenting time order during the COVID-19 outbreak?What are some parenting time alternatives that can be used? What if I…
Always begin with a blessing for yourself
On Being presents a 2-minute Lovingkindness Meditation, courtesy of Sylvia Boorstein.
Red Flags: protecting clients against elder abuse
The American Bar Association discussed the warning signs for elder abuse in clients. Amanda Robert writes (excerpt): 1. The elder client is accompanied by someone who joins the conversation and talks more. . . . 2. The elder client seems…
The Dos and Don’ts of Being
Camille Rainville’s poem “Be a Lady, They Said” popularized in the video narrated by Cynthia Nixon.
The science of helping preschool readers
CNN Health offers tips from The National Institute for Literacy on engaging early readers. Sandee LaMotte writes (excerpt): 1) Start from birth by talking to your child and responding to their attempts to “baby talk” 2) Sing the ABC song…
Welcoming words for New Year’s 2020
Good Housekeeping highlights 50 motivational quotes about change as we head into our new year! They include: Rainer Maria Rilke: And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been. C.S. Lewis: You are never too…
To be busy or to be productive, that is the question
The Harvard Business Review offers advice on practicing into being your “future self.” Peter Bregman writes (excerpt): If you want to be productive, the first question you need to ask yourself is: Who do I want to be? Another question…
On kids – Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003)
Bob: The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born. Charlotte: Nobody ever tells you that. Bob: Your life, as you know it… is gone, never to return. But they learn how to walk,…
3 simple coping tips: how to master your anxiety
The TED Radio Hour shares Olivia Remes’ simple coping strategies for combating anxiety. Remes’ research suggests you can lower your anxiety by using these tips: 1. Do It Badly [i.e., just jump right in; it’s okay]. 2. Forgive Yourself [i.e.,…
A reversible poem, a thrivers-survivors poem: National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and “[t]he goals of DVAM are to raise awareness about the prevalence and cost of domestic violence, the need for prevention, and the services that are available in the community to victims and their…
Grand Rapids Magazine’s 2019 Top Lawyers: Peer Review and Rating of David C. Sarnacki
David C. Sarnacki has been selected to Grand Rapids Magazine’s 2019 list of Top Lawyers. He was chosen by a vote of local judges and attorneys, and his selection will be published in the year end issue of Grand Rapids…
If you’re working at being happy, you’re trying too hard
MarkManson.net peals away the layer on this secret: happiness is a side effect, “not something you obtain, but rather something you inhabit.” Mark Manson writes (excerpt): It’s the perpetual pursuit of fulfilling our ideal selves that grants us happiness, regardless…
Murphy’s Law: 5 ways great parents make great kids
Inc.com shares simple ideas for raising great kids. Bill Murphy, Jr. writes (excerpt): 1. Stay on top of them. . . . British researchers found that parents who articulate high expectations are more likely to have kids who grow up…
8 tips: How to deal with and overcome anxiety and depression
NPR Morning Edition reports on the Northwestern University study in Health Psychology showing how we can learn to overcome anxiety and depression. Embracing 8 skills move us away from stress and toward a positive attitude. Allison Aubrey’s summary of Judith…