Author: Palmer Trice

What Am I Missing?

At breakfast this morning, a friend shared that he had looked at Facebook before he went to bed.  “That does not help me get to sleep!  I don’t know why I do it!  All I see is smiling faces on beautiful pictures of couples blissfully celebrating their anniversaries in Hawaii or France or Italy.  Their lives look so perfect…”  One pastor reportedly said that looking at Facebook was “comparing your headlines to mine….”  I think I would covet less if I didn’t have to look at those pictures. But if… Continue reading What Am I Missing?

Change

Some people love change.  They thrive on the new and the unexpected.  They revel is new experiences – new sights, new smells, new people, new places, new…  And it might not even have to be new.  It could just be different, a change of pace, a reverting back or revisiting something that once was familiar but now is different. These people experience life in new ways.  It might be a challenge.  It might require something different.  It invites exploration into new parts of life and of this world.  They come… Continue reading Change

Forgiveness

  Two things are important to me. I want to be a “good” man. I want to be moral, trustworthy, and honorable – good. I don’t like owing anyone for anything. I pay my debts.  If you lend me something, I want to return it.  When I forget my wallet and you pay, I want to pay you back.  I like wiping the slate clean.  Sometimes it feels costly, but it’s worth it. But life has put me in a place where I see the “bad” part of me.  Particularly,… Continue reading Forgiveness

65 and still learning, albeit slowly

My 65th birthday came with some astonishing self-revelations.  I expected to somehow feel older.  And I did.  I expected to get Medicare jokes.  And I did.  But I didn’t expect to discover that I don’t know myself very well.  I didn’t expect to begin wondering what makes me do what I do.  I wondered about why I make choices, act certain ways, and don’t act in other ways that I think I would. For instance, why do I look at and use my cell phone while I am driving?  Distracted drivers… Continue reading 65 and still learning, albeit slowly

Another New Beginning

I love the thought of beginning again.  I like January 1st.  I like the first thing in the morning feeling.  I enjoy the beginning of the school year.  New beginnings hold so much promise, so much hope.  Last year wasn’t all that I hoped for.  Yesterday held its fair share of disappointments.  I didn’t do as well last year as I had hoped.  But now… now I get to start again! On a more “spiritual” note, I have always loved that about forgiveness.  While I am so grateful that the… Continue reading Another New Beginning

This Control Thing

    I get confused on this “control thing.”  Am I supposed to control or not?  Is it a good thing to weigh in and exert influence?  Is it good to try to impact the world and my circumstances?  Or am I trying to “play God?”  Am I failing to trust Him?   I know which one I prefer.  I want to be the change agent, to be able to influence my world and mold it into what I want it to be.  I want to use every resource I… Continue reading This Control Thing

Rebuilding Trust​

Trust is such a fragile thing.  In some ways it is earned; someone must demonstrate their trustworthiness somehow.  They must produce some kind of track record that makes vulnerability with them a worthwhile risk, so they have to earn it.  But in other ways it is given.  Some people we trust sooner than others.  Some we trust more than others.  Some we trust in some ways and not in others.  We “entrust” ourselves to others too. Now, no one is completely trustworthy.  Even those who love us most, do in… Continue reading Rebuilding Trust​

Strength and Vulnerability

When I think about two foundational attributes of a redeemed, actualized, mature human being, I think of strength and vulnerability. I like the idea of strength. Not physical strength.  I don’t have much of that. I like emotional, spiritual or relational strength.  I like giving to people.  I like pursuing people.  I like pursuing goals and accomplishing things.  I like moving into life. Sometimes I even get addicted to it… and that’s not good.  It hurts people.  But often it is really good.  In some ways, it is a window… Continue reading Strength and Vulnerability

How to Respond to Death

  I don’t like death.  Two and a half years ago, we put our 14-year-old dachshund, Wiggles, to sleep.  She was in a lot of pain.  She could hardly walk.  Wiggles had helped us raise our kids. The process of putting her down was very kind.  We got to say good-bye.  We held her and cried.  They gave her a shot.  It was painless, and she was gone.  We all wept as we left the vet.  I can feel the grief of that moment and the loss of her little… Continue reading How to Respond to Death

Depression

  He walked into Bruegger’s with a quizzical look on his face. “How are you?” my friend asked a bit tentatively. “Much better,” I replied. “I thought so.  I could see the sparkle in your eyes from the door.  You’re back.” “I am,” I smiled sheepishly. It’s that obvious from the outside.  I didn’t have to say a thing and he could see the change in my countenance.  My fall, you see, had been marked by a low grade depression.  It wasn’t clinical.  I didn’t change my eating patterns or… Continue reading Depression