Author: Angie

The cornucopia.    It originated as a goat's horn, filled to overflowing with fruits and vegetables and used in feasts.  Today, we typically use a horn shaped basket instead of a goat's horn and place it on the main table as a Thanksgiving centerpiece.  However, symbolically, the cornucopia represents an abundance of good things!  The … Continue reading Cornucopia

Today, I challenge you to develop a servant heart.  I know I will get some quizzical looks and some furrowed brows. And yes, I said the word servant. Give me a chance to clarify.  It is difficult to imagine willingly putting strangers before ourselves as a general principle. Especially if those strangers dont even want … Continue reading A Servant Heart

We all need sustenance.  Without it, we would not survive.  And within us lives a survival instinct that tells us to eat when we are hungry and drink when we are thirsty.  As a matter of fact, the longer we go without food or drink, the stronger the need grows.  In the most dire circumstance, … Continue reading Hunger

There is a parable about a sower, who plants seeds on different terrains.  The sower planted one set of seeds in rocky soil.  Those seeds sprouted quickly, producing small vibrant plants, because of the unprepared and shallow soil.  But when the sun reached its apex, bearing down its scorching, unforgiving rays,  the plants withered and … Continue reading Believe and Bloom

Do you know the children's story, The Emperor's New Clothes?  The story tells the tale of a vain king who surrounded himself with people who only agreed with him.  Two swindlers, knowing he exclusively wore the finest cloththing, told him of this exquisite magical cloth that only the brightest, most refined and truly regal people … Continue reading  Who has your ear?

Did you know that a penny placed on the railroad track will derail the entire train?  I have heard this nugget of information (and believed it) for most of my youth.  After all, if so many people were saying it, it had to be true... right?  A very dangerous experiment, Yet kids and even adults … Continue reading Derailed

When I was 25 years old, I took an adventurous trip to Australia.  I went alone, stayed for five weeks with people I had never met before and had the time of my life.  On the second day there, my new friends took me hiking up a small mountain.  At first glance, from the car, … Continue reading Reaching the Summit

Foxglove is a beautiful flower that graces the most cultured gardens, shaming the more demure plants  with its  gorgeous trumpet shaped fuschia petals.   Or is It? Actually foxglove is an invasive weed whose entire structure is poisonous. Digitalis, the chemical found in foxglove can kill children, pets and even adults. Children are drawn to … Continue reading A beautiful lie

Alone I am more vulnerable, I become weak and sometimes fall. But together we are strong.   When I was an investigator for child abuse and neglect, the days I got home at 9pm were more numerous than the ones that allowed me to leave at 5pm.  It was a fact that I accepted.  It … Continue reading Together We Are Strong

Are you experiencing dissatisfaction with your families' stagnation or relapse?  It is so easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed when you are doing everything You know to do to help someone achieve their goals but are seeing little success.  You have been working with Ms. Jones for six months.  She is pleasant and cooperative with … Continue reading The Vulnerability of Engagement