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Dr. Tom has been sharing refreshing, insightful essays on his Sunday Morning Café blog since 2009. Each Sunday, he brings his extensive experience from resilience research, counseling, and consulting to help you find more connection, meaning, and joy in life. We're so glad you're here to grow with this community!
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Co-habitating with Cobras & Other Common Human Experiences
How do you co-habitate with a cobra and not get bit? Discover spiritual reflections and practices for life’s toughest moments.
Dr. Tom Wagner
4 days ago5 min read
The Boundary of Freedom: Acceptance
Ever been stuck wishing life was different? A sick trip to Ireland, the adventures of a marital counselor, and a monk’s unexpected wisdom all point to one powerful truth. What if the thing standing between you and peace… is your refusal to accept what is?
Dr. Tom Wagner
Aug 25 min read
Intimacy with Self as Prerequisite for Intimacy with Another
Real intimacy with another—whether a friend, a spouse, or even God—requires deep self-knowledge that includes self-love. This article explores how coming to know your own signature stories and their impact can deepen intimacy with yourself.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jul 261 min read
Lightening the Load: The Healing Power of Self-Forgiveness
Are you warming yourself by the fires of regret or moving toward the warmth of forgiveness? This reflection explores how self-compassion can lighten the load you carry.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jul 192 min read
The Universal Call to Creativity
Creativity doesn’t belong only to musicians, artists, or geniuses. From a musician’s fifteen-hour creative days to a mother’s gift for gathering people, this reflection explores the many ways the human spirit answers the call to create.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jul 124 min read
The Beauty That Surrounds Us
What if Beauty is not waiting in some far-off sacred place, but standing in front of you at the checkout lane, behind the coffee bar, or in the people you pass every day? This reflection invites you to notice the people who sanctify the ordinary.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jul 55 min read
Awe!
Awe can’t be scheduled, but we can cultivate a discipline of noticing beauty. This article is an invitation to slow down, pay attention, take in beauty, and practice wonder.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 286 min read
Soul Mates
What if a soul mate isn’t just “the one,” but one of the many people who help you feel at home in your own life? This reflection explores the sacred gift of the soul mate pod.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 216 min read
“Look Harder”
A well-written song takes you deeply into the experience of its author while awakening something familiar in your own. In this week’s article, Dr. Tom’s tender and deeply human reflection on his mother’s life invites us to remember the people whose love, laughter, and presence have shaped us.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 148 min read
Presents in Wrinkled Wrapping Paper
What if the path to intimacy with the Sacred runs straight through the lives of the sick, the frail, and the aging? This reflection explores how love reshapes itself when strength gives way.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 75 min read
“I Shall Die, but That Is All I Shall Do for Death”: The Sequel
Could years of small surrender prepare you for the hardest letting go? This reflection explores Mary’s story of illness, recovery, contemplative prayer, and the kind of peace that does not arrive by accident.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 3112 min read
“I Shall Die, But That Is All I Shall Do for Death” (Part One)
What allows a person to face the possibility of disability or death and still say, “I am at peace”? Keep reading for a reflection on mortality, courage, acceptance, spiritual grounding, and what resilience looks like when life becomes most fragile.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 249 min read
How Did You Play When You Were a Child?
The way you played as a child may hold wisdom for the adult you are now. This reflection explores how playful movement can become a recipe for resilience and joy.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 171 min read
Talking Back to Internalized Negativity
What do you do when the harshest voice in the room is the one inside your own head? This reflection explores how to notice internalized negativity, talk back to shame, and choose words that open up possibility.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 102 min read
Unbroken: Part Three
How does someone heal after experiencing profound trauma? This article explores the deeper, resilient, and even sacred part of the human spirit that suffering cannot destroy.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 39 min read
Unbroken: Part Two
Even a small, steady experience of love can anchor a person through trauma. This reflection explores how that same capacity exists in all of us, both to receive and to give.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Apr 269 min read
Unbroken
Even in the worst conditions, the human spirit finds ways to survive. This article explores how those small acts of survival can become the foundation for healing.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Apr 199 min read
Meaning and Purpose: The Foundations of Resilience
You may not be able to avoid the stress in front of you—but you can reconnect with what anchors you. This reflection explores how purpose and meaning help you meet challenges with steadiness.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Apr 123 min read
Each and Every Soul Has Some Easter In It, No Exceptions
What if there’s a part of you that already knows how to “keep climbing” when things get hard? This reflection explores the resilience woven into every soul.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Apr 55 min read
Mind the Gap
What would it mean to “love the one you’re with”—when that one is you, just as you are? This reflection explores that invitation.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 296 min read
Explore the full archive of Sunday Morning Café blogs from 2009 through 2024.
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