Author: Jill

Conflict pt. 2

It must be the political season that has my mind set on ideas surrounding conflict. It could be that my son is right and I am a contentious woman. As much as that may sound negative, I’ll own it. Contentious can mean, “open to debate.” Check. And “fierce, or impassioned.” Check. Works for me. I make contentions. I am a problem noticer and a problem solver. Ask any Mom, “Who do the kids come to when they can’t find something or are frustrated with something?” Mom. Every time. Solving problems is what I do as a woman, a mother, and...

Conflict pt. 1

“You are causing me conflict.” My friend Joan had this up on her page at some point. She is a “Conflict Navigator” after all. This cracked me up for some reason. I was thinking I could clean up my language by using this saying instead of a few choice others, like, fuck off! It stuck with me mainly because my ladies study group has been in the book of James, which has pointed advice for us when we are dealing with conflict. Chapter 4 starts, “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source, your...

Puzzle

I was talking to a friend the other day who is contemplating entering studies at a seminary. I love that he called me to get my input into the current plot turn in his life, but am mindful that one of my goals is to become a deeper listener. Which means, DO NOT give advice! My personality is very verbose. I can talk and talk, write & write, as you know. I also like puzzles, not just the table ones, but life ones. I do those out loud in conversations. I recall my middle-school friends teasing me, “oh yeah, Jill...