Good Housekeeping shares a few dozen ideas for starting off 2021 on the right foot. Here are two of Zee Krstic and Kate Rockwood’s “Achievable New Year’s Resolutions” (excerpt): Write to yourself. When your inner critic picks up her bullhorn,…
Big Ideas: New Resource for going to court without a lawyer
The Essence of Being in Court: Big Ideas for Going to Court and Representing Yourself is now available. If you are serious about winning in court, discover the proven strategies you need to know before entering a courtroom without your…
Make it up as you go: quarantine + talent + a good heart = sharing your love with the world
My sister sent me this link to the song: The Keep Going Song by The Bengsons. Perfect with that first cup of coffee to start your day!
Feeling the need for a little kindness?
“Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye, A Poetry Film by Ana Pérez López is part of On Being’s Poetry Films series. Check out the full series here: Poetry Films
Book Reviews endorsing A Visual Refresher Course on Expert Testimony
Initial reviews for A Visual Refresher Course on Expert Testimony have been uniformly favorable, and book reviews are being published in State Bar Section journals across Michigan. Jennie Boldish Bryan published her review in the October 2020 issue of The…
One in five: U.S. adults who will experience mental illness in any given year
CNN honors World Mental Health Day (October 10) with simple tips for immediate action. Sam Romano writes (excerpt): Here are pro-active ways to stay mentally healthy: Try to get proper sleep Watch what you eat: Too much sugar and caffeine…
To you, the world offers itself
to the imagination of the lonely: Mary Oliver’s “Wild Geese” reminds us all.
The Beatles were right: the love partnership you build is more important than the person you pick
CNN reports on a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the end, it’s all about your own assessment of the quality of the relationship’s dynamics. Harmeet Kaur writes (excerpt): What [researchers] found is that…
Freeing your loved ones: surviving, healing, thriving
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…