Yes to healing power of purr! Feel better soon!

Very handsome! Rescue pets are the best! All my cats are rescues, and I don’t know what I’d do without them.

I’m sorry you have gone through something like that. It sounds scary, and I understand your fear of going through it again. I have not personally had depression, so I can’t tell you anything from experience. But I do hope that things will get better for you, and that you will be able to find something that will help…

I was living in Nepal with a family doing medical work. A friend and I were invited to the home of a Nepali family, in a remote area with no electricity. Every morning, I filled my water bottle from the big pot of water that had been boiled. One morning, as I took a big gulp from my water bottle, I looked at the…

Thanks for doing this, and including me! This is what is great about SNS!

Thank you! I’m not practicing yet, but still searching for a job. I’m very anxious to get started!

I think I might, should the oppportunity arise. I know she has faced a lot of criticism for her ministry, so that would be a good starting point for a conversation.

Excellent suggestion. I briefly thought of saying something like that in my momentary panic as everyone was focused on me, but then it escaped me. I have done that in family conversations, when my brother was being particularly offensive, and it usually ends up with him saying something nasty and sexist. I think it…

Haha! I’m glad you’ve calmed down, and I do feel better and more hopeful that I may have opened some minds.

Yup, and thinking people are very dangerous!

Thank you. I hope so too. I’m not going to say anything more, unless I know that she sincerely wants to understand. Otherwise I will just be wasting my breath.

I also find it sad that there is such a huge blind spot in otherwise caring and loving people. Coming from the same place as them, I can only attribute it to brainwashing. It is very difficult to overcome, and some people have more resistance than others. I only hope I at least challenged people to think a bit deeper.

Thanks! I do plan to write a nice thank you note. This may be an opportunity to open people’s minds, if only a little bit. I’ll keep hoping!

Yes, I do feel as though I had a declaration of independence moment, by letting people know that I do not subscribe to the beliefs that I have had shoved down my throat since I was young. It was freeing, but also uncomfortable. My struggle is to do so in a calm and rational manner, and not let my rage come boiling…

Thank you. I am in the learning process of becoming an ally, in whatever way I can. I know that what I experienced yesterday was only a tiny fraction of what you have most likely experienced in your life. It just makes me sad, and also raging mad. I’m surprised I managed to hold it together as well as I did.

I agree. I just feel sad, mostly. This was not a complete surprise to me, just disappointing.

Thank you. I do know that they are wrong for their assumptions. To be fair, I have not always been vocal about my positions on these issues, partly because I have not been able to articulate them well enough, and partly because I avoid political discussions like the plague. They have always known that I decided to…

Well, I managed to alienate a person whom I have respected and looked up to. Today, I attended a party to celebrate my graduation from law school (which was over a year ago, but delayed by various circumstances) put on by several church ladies. One of them has been very vocal in her encouragement of my…

I am crying at work now looking at the pics and watching the video. Congratulations Mark & Allen! I am so happy for you both! This was such an excellent article, and I am not going to read anything else today (unless it is a cute animal video) because I just want to stay this happy. You two are adorable!

That is gorgeous! I don’t have any tattoos myself, but I love seeing other people’s.