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Reader, I wasn’t going to write anything more about the election until I read Peggy Noonan’s column in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal. She wrote something so encouraging and comforting that I just had to share it with you. “A Great Democracy Faces a Bad Choice” is Ms. Noonan's commentary on the notable flaws of both major candidates in this year’s presidential race. None of it was encouraging or comforting. But it’s what she says at the end that touched me. This week my own October surprise. A text message, a hospital, a baby due in November decides he wants in on the action now. The family grows, a grandson comes. I hold him for the first time and I hum chords and he looks at me with huge-pupiled infant eyes and the chords come from my chest and throat. They are of a song I haven’t thought of in years, “My cup Runneth Over.”
A friend of decades calls. We started out together, were young together, and he’s just seen on his phone the picture of the baby. There are tears in his voice. “In all the chaos, all the noise, something splendid God has done.” Amen.
It’s what we all know is the real news, always: life happening.
Let’s all make it through. We’ve never given up on each other, ever, let’s not start now. Can’t let the grandkids down.
Until next time, I wish you all the joy that you can wish.* John Certalic *The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene 2 |
Articles
“At the end of the day, nothing matters MORE than relationships.” — John Certalic
Finishing a 30-Year-Old Conversation
Reader, A number of years ago my friend Bill got me started down a path that eventually brought closure to a troubling part of my life. It wasn’t something he intended to do; it just happened. And It’s the subject of today’s episode, no. 215 of You Were Made For This. It’s about adult children trying to resolve an issue from their childhood with their parents. Click here to listen in. Until next week, I wish you all the joy that you can wish.* John Certalic You Were Made for This is the...
My Favorite Quote This Week
Hi Reader, I may have mentioned this before, but I think it would be fun to do a weekly podcast about interesting quotes. Quote the quote, then talk about it. For example, I recently read a book by Mary Pipher, Letters to a Young Therapist. Each chapter is a letter to the author’s niece who is a newly minted psychotherapist. As one with decades of experience in their shared profession, Pipher offers up nuggets of wisdom she’s learned along the way. I didn’t get the sense she's a person of...
Relating with People Who Don’t Talk Much
Reader, One of the things I enjoyed about writing my book THEM in 2016 was coming up with a quote to put at the top of the page for each chapter. I love it when other authors do this. Here’s the quote I found that encapsulated the theme of chapter one of the book: The older I grow, the more I listen to people who don't talk much. - Germain G. Glidden Today’s podcast episode is about how to do what the quote describes. I tell two stories from the book that give examples of putting the quote...
Reaction to Our Most Popular Blog Post Ever
Reader, I was surprised by the amount of reader reaction to our blog post of January 24th. It’s the most we’ve ever received. Joy From An Unlikely Source” was about the death of Herb Kohl, former owner of the NBA Milwaukee Bucks and United States Senator for 24 years. He passed away at the end of 2023 and I shared some of the tributes paid to him. The stories people told about him personify what I say at the end of each podcast episode, “spread a little relational sunshine with the people you...
5 Things to Watch For In Your Next Conversation
Hi Reader, Sports journalists often write about what to watch for in upcoming sporting events. Articles like “5 Things to Look For In the 49er’s - Chiefs game” were common leading up to the Super Bowl earlier this month. Today’s You Were Made for This podcast uses the same format, “Five things to Watch For In Your Next Conversation.” Click here to listen in to episode 213. You’ll hear a few things you may not have heard before that will help deepen your relationships. Until next week, I wish...
Relational Curiosity and Joy
Hi Reader, If you’re new to our You Were Made for This podcast you should know that a new episode drops the first and third Wednesday of each month. The last episode was no. 212 which aired last week, “Little Things We Do Matter the Most to People.” For the Wednesdays without a new episode, like this one, you will find an email/blog post. For example, today I thought you might be interested in how our podcast is encouraging people. Hopefully it’s encouraging you, too. Here are three recent...
Little Things Mean a Lot
Reader, The most recent episode of our You Were Made for This podcast, no. 211, was about a group of guys and what they did at a Saturday morning breakfast to honor their wives. If you haven’t heard it, click here to listen to the “Men with Waffles” episode. Today’s episode, no. 212, describes what happened ten years later to the men at that breakfast, especially one in particular. Click here to listen to examples of how the little things we do for people often matter the most to them. One...
What Do You Do When This Happens to You?
Reader, One of our You Were Made for This listeners once told me, “I really enjoy hearing feedback from other listeners to the podcast.” I’ve have some for you today. An episode from a few weeks ago, no. 210 - “Word of the Year for 2024: Curious” referred to another show on the same topic, no 063, “Six Reasons Why We’re not More Curious About People.” Episode 063 was from a few years back, and a listener by the name of Amy recently listened to it and left this comment: I bookmarked this...
Joy From an Unlikely Source
Reader, Last week’s podcast episode, no. 211 “A Men’s Breakfast Like No Other,” is one of my favorites. Click here if you missed it. Especially if you’re a woman and want to know what men talk about when you’re not around. Today I'm sharing an example of what I’ve been saying at the end of every podcast episode (I think) since the very first one back in November of 2018. It’s an encouragement to Spread a little relational sunshine around the people you meet this week. Spark some joy for...
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