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Dr. Tom has been sharing refreshing, insightful essays on his Sunday Morning Cafe 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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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
3 days ago2 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
When Snow on the Roof Means Fire in the Belly
As the years go on, something in you will either settle…or awaken. This reflection explores the choice between comfort and contribution.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 226 min read
Living in Memory of the Mountaintops
We may not always live on the mountaintop, but we can live in memory of it. This article explores how, even though moments of awe fade, we can intentionally remember them and let them guide how we see life and people.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 88 min read
Why You Do NOT Have to Marry the Wrong Person
Your choice of spouse is the most important decision you will ever make. Here is a set of procedures, based on common-sense research, to choose a spouse wisely.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Feb 14 min read
A Recipe for Winter-Stark Days (and Nights)
What if nothing in your life—not even sadness or spiritual flatness—stands outside the Sacred? A reflection on winter-stark days and intimacy with the Sacred.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jan 116 min read
Practicing Presence
Winter has a way of revealing what has been growing underground all along. Read on for a reflection on resilience, presence, and healing through Presence.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jan 45 min read
This New Year’s Resolution: Procrastinate More
Not everything meaningful can be scheduled or optimized. This reflection considers play as a form of holiness in a world that rarely slows down.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Dec 28, 20255 min read
Emmanuel in the Mirror
In a season marked by dim light, unfinished grief, and unmet expectations, what does it mean to say that the Sacred is still here? Read on for a meditation on Advent, Presence, and the luminous quality that shines in our seemingly ordinary lives.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Dec 21, 20255 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
Dec 14, 20255 min read
Hip to Be Holy Part Two
You don’t get to choose when fear taps you on the shoulder. But you can choose what steadies you. This piece invites you to consider what might ground you when life shifts.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Dec 7, 20255 min read
A Storied Life
Some memories surface with more weight than others. This week’s reflection explores how to sit with them long enough to discover what they’re trying to say.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Nov 30, 20257 min read
A Place in Time
We make meaning long before we realize we’re doing it. This reflection invites you to slow down enough to notice the stories forming in you right now.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Nov 16, 20255 min read
How to Intentionally Shape Your Life with Foundational/Formational Stories
What stories are shaping you—quietly guiding your choices, bending your path, even when you don’t notice? Read on to rediscover how your own stories—told and untold—can become sources of strength and grace.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Nov 9, 20256 min read
A Muscular Gratitude
In the chaos of life, what happens when you stop long enough to savor? This article explores how small moments of grace can soften even the hardest memories.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Oct 26, 20256 min read
Explore the full archive of Sunday Morning Cafe blogs from 2009 through 2024.
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