Spirit of Change - Winter 2005

The Promise of Pilates

Pilates (pronounced pi LAH tees) has been around for nearly a century, but it has become increasingly popular due to its association with professional athletes and Hollywood actors.

A Sign From Beyond

It was a hot August day when we were told that it was close to the end. When we arrived, Sandie was still able to communicate and respond but as the day progressed, she began to slip away.

Hope

Hope is an ambiguous word. We can use it to show our enthusiasm: "We hope that our friends from the Caribbean will visit us this summer." Or our sorrow: "I do hope those friends don't turn up tonight."

Human Being Human

What is life as a human being really about? I had not given much thought to this or took time to observe it in myself or in others until after I found myself in a hospital, paralyzed from the neck down, unable to speak.

Links to the Beyond

“Seeing My Aunt Again” is a story that is difficult to tell, not because of the emotions it evokes, which are more closely related to joy than anything else, but because the symptoms of the experience seem almost cliché.

Nature Speak

For many years I was associated with a nature center. I worked in its animal program and also served as one of the center’s trail guides, taking groups of kids and adults out for nature walks.

Our Celestial Guardians

Have you ever planned out your whole day from beginning to end and then gotten a strong feeling that you should change all your plans and go to the beach where you ended up bumping into a long-lost friend?

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night feeling that there is “something” in your room? It can be a disconcerting, even frightening experience. And it’s much more common than you might think.

Cultural Crossroads: Losing Habeas Corpus

About a year ago, an op-ed article on Al Jazeerah's website by Fawaz Turki titled "For Bush, A Hot Line To Churchill" opened by noting that Tony Blair had given George W. Bush a bust of Winston Churchill, which sits in Bush's Oval Office.