Terry’s blog

Look at me

Toward the end of his life, Bruce had an advanced case of Parkinson’s. One of the symptoms is particularly disconcerting. Sometimes when Bruce sees a line on the floor (perhaps because his eyes are cast down, watching his feet, fearing a loss of balance?), he stops, immobilized, because he “sees” [...]

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Big Leaf Dance

My son loves to dance. As soon as Zachary learned to walk, he began to dance. He would spin, hop, and slap his feet on our hardwood floor. Beethoven or the Beatles, he’s not picky about the music. Now almost seven, with his arms in the air, he looks like a [...]

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Freedom

The shot is true, a low laser, past an outstretched goalie, into the corner of the net.  After he scores, Mr. Parker performs a joy unrestrained airborne jig, and bumps torsos with another teammate as the fans dance and cheer, GOOOOOOAL!
What makes this story so special?   Mr. Parker has only one leg.  [...]

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The Song

In 1942, the Nazis were actively and forcefully rounding up Jews in France. In the picturesque farming village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon (in southern France), Reformed Church minister Andre Trocme inspired an entire village to change lives. And, as it turns out, the world in which we live.
Each of the citizens of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon voluntarily risked [...]

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Inner Fire

In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the human spirit. –Albert Schweitzer

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Good Eye

Once, at a conference, I noticed a man striding toward me, his face alight  (Marc Ian Barasch tells the story in his fine book, Field Notes on the Compassionate Life).  He seemed really happy to see me, but I didn’t have a clue who he was.  When he got closer, he pushed his [...]

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Thunderstruck

Once upon a time, there was a boy who didn’t like himself very much. It was not his fault. He was born with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is something that happens to the brain. It means that you can think but sometimes can’t walk, or even talk. This boy had a [...]

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To be seen

The husband knew he could not adequately care for his wife, now in the final stages of Alzheimer’s. He found a compassionate facility, and visited her every day. At noon for lunch.
Not 11:59.
Not 12:01.
Noon. Every day.
Until the day of a minor accident when he found himself in an Emergency Room, his arm [...]

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Real People, Real Communication

Each of us desires relationships that are healthy–with trust, compassion, laughter, honesty and touch.
There’s only one problem… Each of us moves away from the very things we desire.
If only we could find that one person who could make it all okay… Here’s the deal:

Intimacy has little to do with the other person.
Intimacy begins with [...]

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Full Moon

Full Moon
A sliver of light
falls through my window
crosses by bed
and beckons me
from the implacable mental tug of war
and its relentless internal noise;
where life is uncertain
complicated by words spoken in anger
and confusion.
And by so many words
left unsaid.
How is it that words carry so many disparate pieces of our heart
yet seem so inadequate, insufficient?
And too easily morph [...]

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do less. live more.