Essays
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Essay: Everyday Kindness
“Being kind and considerate of others will take your children further in life than any college degree.” ~Marian Wright Edelman Cindy La Ferle ______________________ To view additional content, or to share on social media, please visit the home page. It’s not just me. Everyone’s mourning the loss of kindness and civility. Within the past couple of years, especially, there’s been a remarkable increase in thoughtless behavior and cruel comments — a general lack of respect that erodes our very souls. It starts at the top with belligerent political leaders and filters down to the rude grocery shopper who rams into your cart and doesn’t bother to say, “Excuse me.”One friend calls it…
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May Day memories
“May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive.” ~Fennel Hudson Our magnolia in May / Cindy La Ferle ____________For additional content, or to share on social media, please visit the home page May Day was one of Norma’s favorite holidays. Continuing a tradition started by her mother, my dear friend would leave a basket of flowers, a beautiful plant, or a small present on the porch steps of her loved ones every year on the first day of May. While she intended to surprise us — which was part of the annual tradition — I recall at least one morning when I spotted Norma sneaking up…
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Let there be light
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~Albert Schweitzer Lake Michigan / Cindy La Ferle ______________________ To view additional content, or to share on social media, please visit the home page. On Sunday, we had a doozy of an ice storm that left us with the sad wreckage of fallen branches and uprooted trees all over the neighborhood. And — for more than 250,000 people in southeast Michigan — no electricity for a couple of days. Throughout the region, schools and businesses closed; traffic lights…
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Throwback Thursday essay: Letting go of “everyone”
“You do not need everyone. What you do or create isn’t for or about ‘everyone.’ Finding those who are believers in what we believe is what matters.” ~Seth Godin Cindy La Ferle At a dinner party recently, some friends and I discussed a few topics that are creating a cavernous divide in our country. As it happens, those friends are kindred spirits who share my political and cultural views. That night, it was a comfort to be able to discuss volatile issues “in a safe place,” as one put it.We also agreed, later, that it’s a shame we don’t feel safe enough to have open, civil discussions with family and friends who…
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Feeling seen and heard
“A friendship is a mutual relationship between two people that is satisfying, safe, and where both people feel seen. If you have a friendship that isn’t feeling meaningful or healthy, I can guarantee it’s because at least one of these three requirements is lacking in that relationship.” ~Shasta Nelson, Friendships Don’t Just Happen On Lake Michigan / Cindy La Ferle ______________________ To view additional content, or to share on social media, please visit the home page. How often do you find yourself in the company of people who treat you more like an audience than a friend? Given a choice, most of us gravitate toward people who make us feel seen, heard,…
