We Are All Refugees

I am proud to share this beautiful essay by my beautiful daughter, Erin, who posted it yesterday on social media. It is well thought out, well articulated and well-crafted, which is no surprise given that Erin is a smart, loving and amazing human being.

Here is Erin’s essay.

My very existence was determined by multiple ancestry strains leaving their homelands, searching for safety and security. The blood that runs in my veins encompasses numerous nationalities, religions, and legacies of people who left all they knew. Of people whose hearts were never the same after their families, friends, and neighbors were murdered. Of people who didn’t speak the language of their new “home” and were never welcomed.

The blood that runs in my veins is also the blood of the people left behind, the ones who couldn’t

A Definition of Freedom That May Surprise You

Paramahansa Yogananda in 1924 (Courtesy of Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, California)

In Journey to Self-realization, Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of Self-Realization Fellowship, wrote:

True freedom lies in doing what you should do when you ought to do it.

If that sounds like the opposite of freedom to you, you’re not alone. Yogananda noted that “many people think that whatever comes into their brains they may do—and believe that to be freedom.”

It’s not. Until you

Free to Soar Once More

Ernest and Anneke Robinson’s son, Matthew, suffered from multiple ailments due to a lack of oxygen at birth. He was paralyzed from the neck down, blind and only able to speak a few words. His parents placed this uplifting statue on Matthew’s tombstone in Salt Lake City in 2000 in honor of their brave son and of those like him who continue to struggle on this earth.

The tombstone of Matthew Robinson

Ernest and Anneke experienced so many obstacles and brick

Dr. Robert Fisch—Freedom, Day One

Dr. Robert O. Fisch

On this day 57 years ago—New Year’s Day, 1957—Holocaust survivor Dr. Robert Fisch sailed into New York Harbor. He had been persecuted in his homeland of Communist Hungary and likely would have been executed for his role in the 1956 Revolution there. Thirty-seven years later, in 1993, he received a medal of honor from the president of Hungary for his heroic actions in the liberation of Hungary.

January 1, 1957, was a joyous and auspicious day for Dr. Fisch, but it was only day one of a long and difficult process that finally led to true freedom. He explains why in the poignant and moving Introduction in his book, The Metamorphosis to Freedom.

You are most likely one of the fortunate people who were born in freedom. Only a fraction of people throughout history have been that lucky. I was not one of them.

When I was a young man in Hungary, the Nazis imprisoned, deported and killed Jewish people—including my father and many other members of my family—simply because they were Jews. Then the Communists took over my country and told me where and ow I could practice medicine, for by then I had become a doctor.

I rebelled against the Communists, escaped from Hungary and eventually came to the United States.

I waited a long time for freedom, but it did not come when

Jon Morrow: You Can Do It!

In my post, “Life Is Short, Do What You Love,” I relate how I encouraged two coworkers to follow their dreams. To my delight, both of them took me up on it! If you’re still looking over the ledge at your life’s work and haven’t mustered up the courage to take a flying leap (Ray Bradbury said, “You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.”), I dare you—I double dog dare you!—to read this awesome post by professional blogger and all-around amazing human being Jon Morrow without getting inspired to do what you love to do for the rest of your life!

How to Quit Your Job, Move to Paradise and Get Paid to Change the World

After all, that’s the dream, right?

Forget the mansions and limousines and other trappings of Hollywood-style wealth. Sure, it would be nice, but for the most part, we bloggers are simpler souls with much kinder dreams.

We want to quit our jobs, spend more time with our families, and finally have time to write. We want the freedom to work when we want, where we want. We want our writing to help people, to inspire them, to change them from the inside out.

It’s a modest dream, a dream that deserves to come true, and yet a part of you might be wondering…

Will it?

Do you really have what it takes to be a professional blogger, or are you just being dumb? Is it realistic to make enough money from this to quit your job, or is that just silly? Can you really expect people to fall in love with what you write, or is that just wishful thinking?

Sure, it’s fun to dream about your blog taking off and changing your life, but sometimes you wonder if it’s just that: a dream. This is the real world, and in the real world, dreams don’t really come true.

Right?

Well, let me tell you a little story…

How I quit my job

Jon’s van

In April of 2006, I was hit by a car going 85 miles an hour.

I didn’t

Something to Hold On to

In church this last Sunday, the minister used a colorful analogy. He noted that you wouldn’t dream of riding a roller-coaster without the safety bar in place. Then, no matter how high or how fast you travel, you will be secure and you won’t fall out.

He then explained that that safety bar is

Sand in Your Hand

Recognizing that change and growth are as enriching as they are inevitable, they neither resist nor resent each other’s budding new interests and aspirations.

If we have the self-confidence and the wisdom to be the friend of our partner’s growth, then growth is no threat. If we set ourselves against it, we invite tragedy.
Nathaniel Branden

Viewing their life together as an ever-evolving adventure, they encourage each other to follow their bliss wherever it might lead.

Relationships—of all kinds—are like sand

New People, New Places, New Adventures

I am now free to roam about the country

There was a time when I had a wife, a young daughter, a job, a dog and a household. I miss those days.

Today, my daughter is grown, I am single and I work for myself; my office is wherever I can get an Internet connection. I don’t have to be anywhere at a certain time and I answer to no one.

After being tied down (in a good way) with family and financial obligations for many years, I am now free to do what I want, when I went, where I want. And yet, I have

Loss and Liberation

Like countless other people in these difficult economic times, my living arrangements are far simpler and humbler than they were a short time ago. While I certainly miss certain amenities, I’ve rediscovered that there is freedom in living more simply. Even when my financial situation improves, I will be exceedingly careful about adding complexity back into my life.

You have learned something. That always feels at first as if you had lost something.
George Bernard Shaw

Right after I decided to write this post, I came across this Simon Cowell interview on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, In this one-minute excerpt, Simon recalls his free fall from hit record producer to flat broke, wondering if he even had enough money to pay for the cab ride back to his parents’ house. I was surprised to hear Simon say that

Broken Wings + Stricken Body = Soaring Spirits

This extraordinary tale of love, hope and healing is told by Jeff Guidry, a member of the educational team at Sarvey Wildlife Center in Everett, Washington.

Jeff Guidry and Freedom (2007 Christmas card photo)

Every day at Sarvey Wildlife Center we witness firsthand the incredible battle for life that our animal brothers and sisters go through. This is a story of one Bald Eagle’s magnificent spirit and sheer will to live.

It was mid-summer when a call came in reporting a fledgling Bald Eagle had fallen out of a nest on a Seattle golf course. Our very own Crazy Bob went to the rescue and transported her to the Center. She arrived with two broken wings. When asked to take her to the vet, I jump at the chance.

When I load this hurt and terrified baby into the car, she neither whimpers nor fights; she can’t even stand. This is not a good sign; she is obviously in very bad shape. As