Clare Consultation, LLCPosted on January 21, 2013 by Mary Clare
“Good Job, Dad” — Change 4 Years Later
“The first step is faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Martin Luther King, Jr “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” Barack Obama Sasha Obama hugged her dad after he took the Presidential Oath of Office yesterday. “Good job, Dad,” she said. “I did it,” her father responded. Then today, President Obama stood before… Read More
Posted on January 13, 2013 by Mary Clare
Things that Fall from the Sky
“If you have time to stop for a minute, I’ve got something to show you back at the bus,” my new friend Peter says. “Something that fell from the sky.” “Is it bigger than a breadbox?” I ask. His blue eyes spark as his usually stone-still face lifts with the hint of a smile. “Yep,” he says, “bigger than a breadbox.” We are sitting across from one another in a red vinyl… Read More
Posted on December 10, 2012 by Mary Clare
Today’s December 10
It’s the end of the day, and unlike most days between November and July the sky outside my window is vivid with sunset colors – you know those indescribable shades of pink and purple, hints of orange, red, yellow, even bits of green. I’m in Portland, OR where I live and work – and walk and dance and chit chat with neighbors and laugh and cry with friends. Today I’ve done all… Read More
Posted on November 19, 2012 by Mary Clare
Neighbors at War and the Possibility of Peace
Today. Right now. Palestinian people and all people in and around the area of Israel known as Gaza — the Syrian people, Afghan people and people in too many other places on the planet to list here are in immediate danger. Some are dying. People = children, youth, and adults including mothers, fathers, grandparents, great grandparents. These people have pets, they live in places where other animals live, they drink water and… Read More
Posted on November 12, 2012 by Mary Clare
Listen to Each Other
Today is Veteran’s Day. I know that among the reasons I am here typing these words onto this screen with lunch cooking on the stove is the presence and courage of the men and women who over time have been warriors in this country and on this planet. I’m not a big fan of armed conflict — not a big fan of war — and still I know that for the largest… Read More
Posted on October 28, 2012 by Mary Clare
Matters of Spirit before the Election — and a second podcast —
Last night there were fireworks in the rain for the last game of the season for the Portland Timbers — our professional soccer team. The season ended with a tie between the Timbers and the San Jose Earthquakes. I wasn’t at the game. And, true confession, I didn’t know about it. But the sound was enormous for 20 minutes or more. My imagination ran the gammut, but I remembered my friend Dia… Read More
Posted on September 17, 2012 by Mary Clare
Libya, the Chinook Nation and Who We are as Americans
Captions beneath three undated photos provided to the Chinook Observer by Ambassador Chris Stevens’ mother read: Chris Stevens. Stevens was among four Americans who died Tuesday night, Sept. 11, 2012 in Benghazi after they were attacked by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades. Stevens’ death deprives the United States of someone widely regarded as one of the most effective American envoys to the Arab world. Chris Stevens, the ambassador to Libya who was killed in… Read More
Posted on September 3, 2012 by Mary Clare
Building it.
Of late a good deal of national opposition has arisen around the words “build it.” Some months ago, our president made a point in a public (and arguably campaign) speech about the labor that supports most, if not all of the social activity in this country, including business. Some folks heard his comments as indicating they shouldn’t get credit for their work. The media and campaign publicity machines got hold of the… Read More
Posted on August 27, 2012 by Mary Clare
The Hope in Opposition
NOTE: An opposition in public discourse occurs when opinions on a given matter appear sharply polarized. E.g., global warming is a problem: there’s no global warming. From one view, opposition makes for intractability. From another it makes for opportunity. Listening and speaking across difference – the willingness and skill for that – makes the difference. A few trending Oppositions in admitted editorial rendering (i.e., I like all of us am biased by… Read More
Posted on August 5, 2012 by Mary Clare
XXX Olympiad — Blog readership plummets
Not that the number was that sky-high to begin with – although of late there have been readers from India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Israel and Brazil – even one reader from Sierra Leon. I don’t know if all of the countries represented by readers on this little blog are also represented at the Olympics. I can’t because of a lot of things. A lot of work, for starters; and then there’s the super… Read More