Angel, my beloved dog of fourteen and a half years suddenly died in early June. (The vet thought it was a heart attack or stroke.) Our daughter originally got her, and the dog was a lifesaver for her rough times growing up (as my childhood dog was for me). When our daughter went off to college, she let Kim and me keep Angel, who became a surrogate child for us. I’m a pathetic, incorrigible dog lover. Kim came from a country where they ate dogs, but she came to love the dog far more than she ever let on or even…

“His last words were . . .” People’s last words pique our interest because they’re sometimes profound or grateful or sad or inspiring or ironic. People’s last words—after living out their life on earth and before departing forever—almost always cause us to pause and think both about life in general and about our own life. Even if the words aren’t particularly profound, the fact that they’re a person’s final utterances makes them worth hearing. An Oklahoma death row inmate, convicted of two murders, was recently executed. He acknowledged that he was drugged out when they happened and doesn’t remember doing them. Formerly a…

Everyone has a unique take on spiritual growth because we’re all different in some way, so we all gravitate toward one preference or another. Yet I keep coming back to seven key areas. If you have an additional eighth one, that’s great. These seven areas are universally important to anyone who seeks to grow in spirit and character. And they must all be intentional. This sevenfold path is not something to achieve. We don’t get there. We never “arrive.” This is a path we go on. These are attitudes. They are commitments. They are practices. This sevenfold path is one…