Denise’s Blog

  Now I become myself. It’s takenTime, many years and places;I have been dissolved and shaken,Worn other people’s faces,Run madly, as if Time were there,Terribly old, crying a warning,“Hurry, you will be dead before–“(What? Before you reach the morning?Or the end of the poem is clear?Or love safe in the walled city?)Now to stand still, to be here,Feel my own

Grappling is a fitting term to describe a process so necessary to the kind of learning that I’m interested in not only for myself but for others. When I think of my own grappling process I am also acutely aware of how painful this can be at times. With that awareness comes a growing ability to live in a space of inquiry

According to Nel Noddings, care must be reciprocal. The cared for must be able to receive our care in order for the circle to be complete. The intention to care for another is not enough. The care provided must be received by the other. As I read the article by Cassidy and Beck on Whytecliff school entitled “Drop Outs and

The pursuit of knowledge in and of itself has, in traditional contexts,  been considered a contemplative practice aimed at becoming fully human. One my professors, Charles Scott, said something to this effect the other day and it synthesized a entire conversation for me that we had been having earlier that day in class. It really does not matter the form

  Belonging, an essential part of our existence, can become a double edged sword. Allow me to explain. It seems that our need to belong can stifle our drive to reach our full potential. To become fully who are are meant to be. I know this to be true in my life. The subject of belonging has been a painful one.

Every year I am greeted by one red breasted robin appearing in my back yard. Usually as the seasons begin to change from winter to spring. A powerful time of transformation according to my teachings. Each time I am stilled by the robin’s presence. This morning while sipping my coffee and humming away busily in my kitchen preparing a ritualistic

More than a few aha moments were had, at least by me, while attending the annual Neufeld Conference Facilitator Training this past weekend. Presentations by Dr. Neufeld and Dr. Deborah McNamara provided a feast for both heart and mind. As I listened to Deborah introduce the ancient concept of the shape shifter I could not help but drift into reflection

Becoming a parent melted my heart. I never could have imagined the myriad of ways in which I would be touched, moved and changed prior to the birth of my two sons. The journey of becoming the parent my children need is an incredible one of growth and transformation.  I have come to know joy on an entirely new level.