Our mother fancied herself the mystic in the family. As one friend said, she was a spiritual director before it was cool. Her bedroom and office were filled with prayer beads and poems by Emily Dickinson. She knitted prayer shawls for us girls, hoping we’d wear them and feel her praying fo...
Isn't it amazing that we are all made in God's image, and yet there is so much diversity among his people?” — Desmond Tutu Sometimes you are lucky enough to take a trip at just the right moment... I have been in Abu Dhabi this week for the Special Olympics World Games and, every...
I was raised in an artistic household in Vancouver. My mother was an actor/artist and my father was, and still is, a theatre director. They taught me from a young age that I was a global citizen. Giving back was a part of our everyday life, and when I started acting, I realized I had a platf...
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. —Genesis 1:1–3 Across the th...
My mother and her best friend, Theresa, left yesterday after having enjoyed a “Queen for a Day” mini vacation here at our home. I turned the library into a spa and arranged for a therapist to give Theresa her first massage ever, and Mom her first one in a long, long time. I covered the t...
Like most doctors, I am a big fan of eating apples. The old saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away is actually true. Apples are a potent source of flavonols, important for fighting free radicals and calming inflammation in the brain. Flavonols also keep the immune system strong so ...
Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” — Chinese Proverbour fears.” Last week, I wrote that things are going to get better. This week, there were several examples that I was right! For one, there was a huge breakthrough in the global race to find...
This is my back pocket recipe for when I want a satisfying, hearty meal that’s ready to eat in half an hour. The combination of chickpeas and shrimp in a garlicky tomato broth is especially good over my creamy Pumpkin Polenta. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are one food that’s common to all ...
May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” — Nelson Mandela When I read that ratings were up for this year's Academy Awards—the “no-host Oscars,” as they've been called—I have to admit that I wasn't surprised. It also got me thinking. If the Oscars can succ...
According to the World Health Organization, sexual abuse is a serious global health problem that impacts children around the world. Although the Catholic Church is currently under intense scrutiny for how it has handled reports of clergy sexual abuse in the past, this is not just a Catholic ...
