Month: July 2025

Homage to Life ~ A Poem by Jules Supervielle

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What does it mean to truly live? Jules Supervielle’s quiet masterpiece whispers answers to those who pause long enough to hear them.

Homage to Life

Jules Supervielle

It’s good to have chosen
A living home
And housed time
In a ceaseless heart
And seen my hands
Alight on the world,
As on an apple
In a little garden,
To have loved the earth,
The moon and the sun
Like old friends
Who have no equals,
And to have committed
The world to memory
Like a bright horseman
To his black steed,
To have given a face
To these words — woman, children,
And to have been a shore
For the wandering continents
And to have come upon the soul
With tiny strokes of the oars,
For it is scared away
By a brusque approach.
It is beautiful to have known
The shade under the leaves,
And to have felt age
Creep over the naked body,
And have accompanied pain
Of black blood in our veins,
And gilded its silence
With the star, Patience,
And to have all these words
Moving around in the head,
To choose the least beautiful of them
And let them have a ball,
To have felt life,
Hurried and ill loved,
And locked it up
In this poetry.

Source

Reflection:

Jules Supervielle’s Homage to Life reads like a soft-spoken farewell kissed with wonder. It’s the gratitude of someone who lived not only through time but with it—touching the world gently, storing its beauty with reverence. From the “ceaseless heart” to the tender encounter with the soul, the poem is a reminder that to live fully is to observe quietly, to love deeply, and to remember faithfully. Even pain, age, and silence are given their due—gilded not with denial, but with Patience, the poem’s shining star. In a rush-hungry world, this is a quiet trumpet call to presence, to poetry, and to the poetry of presence.

❓ Dive-Deeper Questions:

  1. Which image in the poem—“apple in a garden,” “wandering continents,” “tiny strokes of the oars”—spoke to you most, and why?
  2. How does the poem invite us to approach life differently, especially in how we engage with time and memory?
  3. What does the poem suggest about how to treat the soul—and by extension, each other?

Trust Your Gut—Why Gut Health is the Real MVP

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Your gut isn’t just about digestion—it’s your body’s command center for immunity, mood, and even memory.

Your gut is home to trillions of microbes—more than the number of cells in your body—and they’re not just hanging out. They affect your digestion, immune system, mood, and even your brain health. This internal ecosystem, known as the gut microbiome, helps break down food, absorb nutrients, and protect against pathogens. When your gut is out of balance, it can lead to inflammation, chronic illness, fatigue, brain fog, and more. In fact, research shows a strong link between gut microbiota and systemic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and mental health disorders (Lynch & Pedersen, 2016). Maintaining a healthy gut isn’t just good for digestion—it’s essential for your whole body and mind. Over the next five posts, we’ll explore practical, science-backed ways to build a better belly, one healthy choice at a time.

Citation: Lynch SV, Pedersen O. (2016). The Human Intestinal Microbiome in Health and Disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(24), 2369–2379.

Upcoming Posts in the Series

Day 2: “Feed Your Gut Right—Prebiotics, Probiotics, and the Power of Fiber”

Topic: The role of dietary components in supporting beneficial gut bacteria.

Day 3: “Stress is a Gut Wrecker—How Emotions Impact Digestion”

Topic: The gut-brain axis and the effects of chronic stress on gut health.

Day 4: “Gut-Safe Grocery Guide—What to Eat, What to Avoid”

Topic: Gut-friendly foods and ingredients that cause harm.

Day 5: “Antibiotics, Antacids, and Other Gut Disruptors”

Topic: Medications and their unintended effects on the gut microbiome.

Day 6: “Movement, Mindfulness, and a Mighty Microbiome”

Topic: Lifestyle habits that support long-term gut wellness.

Stand and Deliver (a Hug): The Parenting Hack That Could Save Your Marriage

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What started as a simple strategy to stop sibling squabbles may just be the ultimate peace treaty for adults, too. Before you storm off—try standing one foot apart and seeing what happens. Just don’t forget to pack snacks and patience.

My five daughters were all born fairly close together. We called it the Cape Catholic countdown, Lol. With the girls so close together, there were times when they didn’t get along. They’d demand that either my wife or I took sides. We didn’t fall for that trap. We did however come up with a creative solution that worked. Let’s say daughters two and three were having an argument. We found the best way to settle the argument was to have them stand face-to-face, just a foot apart, and stay that way until  they could resolve the issue they were fighting over. Within two minutes, we’d hear them laughing. They never resolved the issue, but they forgot what it was about. I think that’s a good lesson for adults too. We get in squabbles. We can’t help it. I think it must be in our DNA. What if we stood in the middle of the room facing each other until we reached some kind of agreement? Maybe we adults don’t have to stand in the middle of the room, but maybe we can agree not to leave the room until we reach agreement. That might mean we have to camp out for two or three weeks. Dialogue has to start someplace if common ground is to be found. If it can be done civilly, there would be many more happy relationships. Don’t forget to pack a lunch for you and your partner as you stand 1 foot apart until you decide whose parents will you see for Thanksgiving..

Writer’s Prompt: Heart Trouble: When Love Performs the Real Surgery

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What happens when prejudice flatlines and a skilled hand revives more than just a heart? This story dares to ask: can love crack open a closed mind?

🩺 Opening Paragraph:

Roy Jenkins had never trusted hospitals—too sterile, too full of people who didn’t look like him. But when the pain in his chest dropped him like a felled pine tree in the Walmart parking lot, he woke up staring into the determined eyes of Dr. Ava Carter, a black cardiologist with zero patience for nonsense and a track record of saving hearts that didn’t want to be saved. Roy’s first words were a muttered slur. Ava’s reply? “You’re welcome.” What neither of them expected was that the heart she shocked back to life would soon beat for her.

🧠 Three Questions to Make the Writer Think:

  1. Can genuine love dismantle long-held prejudices, or does it require something more—like accountability and change?
  2. How does saving someone’s life create a bond that transcends personal history or social barriers?
  3. If you were writing this story, how would you handle the tension between romantic development and ethical responsibility?

Light for the Journey: When Life’s a Mystery Buffet, Grab a Fork: The Power of Embracing Uncertainty

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What if the thing you’re most afraid of—uncertainty—is actually your golden ticket to a fuller, more vibrant life?

When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life. ~ Eckhart Tolle

🌱 Reflection:

We spend so much of our lives chasing clarity, trying to plan every moment, dodge every detour, and outwit every surprise. But what if uncertainty isn’t the enemy? Eckhart Tolle reminds us that when we grow comfortable with the unknown, life expands. The rigid doors of control quietly creak open to reveal wide windows of opportunity, creativity, and joy. Think about it: the most meaningful turns in life—falling in love, starting a new journey, discovering a hidden strength—often emerge from the fog of not knowing. When we stop resisting the ambiguity, we start dancing with possibility. Maybe today’s chaos is tomorrow’s clarity in disguise. Maybe the question marks are just commas in a sentence that’s still being written. So loosen your grip. Trust the unfolding. And let life surprise you.

Life ~ A Poem by Edgar Albert Guest

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Life’s No Dress Rehearsal—So Belt Out the Ballad, Dance Through the Drama, and Frost Your Cake With Joy. Dive into Edgar Albert Guest’s stirring poem Life, a timeless reminder that while grief may knock, joy still sings. This post explores how laughter, perseverance, and soulful choices shape the lives we live.

Life

Edgar Albert Guest

Life is a jest;
  Take the delight of it.
Laughter is best;
  Sing through the night of it.
Swiftly the tear
  And the hurt and the ache of it
Find us down here;
  Life must be what we make of it.

Life is a song;
  Let us dance to the thrill of it.
Grief’s hours are long,
  And cold is the chill of it.
Joy is man’s need;
  Let us smile for the sake of it.
This be our creed:
  Life must be what we make of it.

Life is a soul;
  The virtue and vice of it.
Strife for a goal,
  And man’s strength is the price of it.
Your life and mine,
  The bare bread and the cake of it,
End in this line:
  Life must be what we make of it.

Source

Reflection:

Edgar Guest invites us into life’s full theater—where comedy, tragedy, and soulful striving share the same stage. In just three stanzas, he reminds us that tears are real, but so is laughter, and while pain can linger, joy is essential. His refrain, “Life must be what we make of it,” isn’t just advice—it’s a challenge to create meaning, to choose beauty, and to craft a life that sings even in minor chords.

🧐 Three Questions to Deepen the Reader’s Experience:

  1. Which line from the poem echoes your current stage of life—the laughter, the ache, the goal, or the creed?
  2. If “life must be what we make of it,” what’s one deliberate change you could make today to shape your life more intentionally?
  3. How does the interplay between joy and grief in the poem mirror your own experience of resilience?

A Beautiful Prayer by Thomas Merton

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My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following Your Will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. ~ Thomas Merton

Lifestyle Choices – The Silent Saboteurs of Bone Strength

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Your bones notice every smoke, sip, and snooze you skip. Small habits can make or break your skeleton.

Lifestyle factors like smoking, excessive alcohol, and poor sleep negatively impact bone health. A study in BMJ Open found that smoking and heavy drinking significantly increase fracture risk and bone loss in older adults (Kanis et al., 2005).

Quit smoking, limit alcohol to no more than one drink daily (if at all), and aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep. Small positive changes in these areas can help preserve bone mass and overall health.

Writer’s Prompt: The Coyote with a Conscience (and a 100% Off Promo Code for Freedom)

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Most coyotes charge a fortune to smuggle people across the border. But this guy? He charges nada—and only takes passengers who are running for their lives, not chasing the American Dream on a whim.

📖 Starting Paragraph:

They called him El Fantasma del Norte, though he wasn’t a ghost—just really good at being invisible when the job required it. Unlike the other coyotes in Sonora, he didn’t count pesos or bargain with fear. His only payment? A cause worth risking it all for. Marta, a teacher blacklisted for organizing protests in Oaxaca. David, a journalist whose last article earned him a death threat. These weren’t just clients. They were passengers on his underground railroad, and he was the last train out of tyranny.

❓ Three Thought-Provoking Questions:

  1. What happens when someone breaks the law in the name of a higher moral law—should they be condemned or celebrated?
  2. Is it possible for someone with a criminal title (like “coyote”) to actually be a hero?
  3. If you had to risk everything for your freedom, who would you hope was waiting on the other side?

New Podcast: The Quiet Ache of Grief: Yearning After Loss

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In this touching episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, we explore the tender thread of yearning—that quiet, constant ache for a loved one who’s gone. It hums beneath the surface of ordinary moments and reminds us that love never leaves quietly. Through poetic reflection, personal stories, and timeless wisdom from ancient poets like Li Po and e.e. cummings, we discover how yearning reveals both our sorrow and our sacred connection. This episode gently guides listeners toward healing—not by forgetting, but by learning to move forward with grace, courage, and hope.

5 Salient Points

  • Yearning is a universal and deeply emotional part of grief, often more powerful than sadness itself.
  • Li Po’s poem “Endless my Yearning” beautifully captures the soul’s ache to reconnect with someone who is gone.
  • Experiencing a loved one’s presence or voice after death is a normal part of grief for many.
  • Grief counselors can offer vital support when yearning interferes with daily life—seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
  • Healing is gradual and nonlinear—but with time, moments of beauty, peace, and purpose grow stronger than the pain.

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