To honor the life and work of Representative Jim Ramstad, we are re-publishing the following article written by former editor and publisher, Julia Edelman in the summer of 1998. In 2008, Ramstad announced he would not seek re-election and left Congress in 2009. Ramstad was instrumental in the advancement of a law that would prohibit| The Phoenix Spirit
“Resilience is our essential nature, woven into our being as a natural capacity to restore and recover so that we can experience the joy and well being that are our birthright.” Dr. Henry Emmons, MD What is resilience? Is it strength, persistence, courage? Do you think about your resilience or another’s? Is resilience acquired or| The Phoenix Spirit
Fear stalks our world, brazen and shameless. I expect fear to occasionally sneak in and out of alleys, but to see it parade through public streets as though a welcome visitor is…..frightening! There are public and private fears; they embolden each other. Like bullies on the playground, they compete for space and power. Who will| The Phoenix Spirit
It was May and I had just passed through the most painful period of my life. I was 51 years old and living alone in the same city I had lived with my family for the past twenty years. On warm evenings, I sat in a lawn chair and enjoyed the setting sun. One evening,| The Phoenix Spirit
I arrived at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center in Detroit, Michigan on a warm, sunny weekend in the late spring of 1991. My sponsor hinted strongly that I should attend the weekend gathering. Now that I was no longer suggestion-proof, I was discovering what he meant by going to any lengths. His timing| The Phoenix Spirit
What is this world coming to?! Quarantining inside for months when I would just love to go out and see all my friends together. Not being allowed to visit my mother who is dying in a nursing home alone because of the threat of coronavirus. Being given some health information one day only to be| The Phoenix Spirit
God having a plan for me is evidenced in reflection of the events throughout my life. As a child, I had struggles that I remember and can feel, but no longer identify with. The growth that comes with age, brain maturation, experiences and learning shape who we are at different times. I think of that| The Phoenix Spirit