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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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“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
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
Exodus
Faith traditions speak often about welcoming the stranger and the alien in our midst. This reflection explores what it means to see them—and not look away.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 156 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
Foundations for a Brand New Marriage, or Making a Tired Marriage Brand New
The forming stage of a couple is not just romantic; it is formative. This reflection invites you to examine the roles, rules, and rhythms you are setting in place for the long haul.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 13 min read
Autumn Love: Building Resilient Marriages When the Nest is Empty
When the children leave home and togetherness increases, how will you navigate what it means to be individuals in the midst of it? This reflection explores resilient marriages in the empty nest phase of life.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Feb 224 min read
Relationship Repair: The Heart of Resilience
Close relationships will expose parts of you that still need maturing. The question is not whether you’ll fail — but whether you’ll repair. This reflection walks through what a real apology requires.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Feb 152 min read
Marriage Isn’t Hard Work; It’s Mostly Play
When relationships become all maintenance and no delight, something essential goes missing. This reflection explores how play restores the ease that love needs to endure.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Feb 86 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
Marriage: A People Growing Machine
What if the limits you keep meeting in your closest relationships are the very engine of your growth? A reflection on marriage, endurance, and human formation.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jan 256 min read
In Praise of the Good Enough
There is something to be said for the good enough marriage—where flaws, over time, are slowly turned into gifts. This reflection explores commitment, growth, and shared purpose.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jan 186 min read
Explore the full archive of Sunday Morning Café blogs from 2009 through 2024.
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