connection | Dr.TomWagner

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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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

A person hugs two children under a metal roof. One child wears a hat with a heart symbol. The mood is warm and comforting. Black and white.

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

Two children run on a beach at sunset, casting long shadows on the wet sand. The sky is a gradient of orange and blue, creating a serene mood.

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

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

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

Person in a hoodie and hat stands by a lake, facing the sun. Tall grass and sandy shore in the foreground, trees in the background. Peaceful scene.

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

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

A Prison Guard Becomes Best Friends with His Inmate

What if your quietest acts of love hold more power to change the world than you realize? This story invites you to see love as your greatest superpower.

Dr. Tom Wagner

Sep 21, 20256 min read

Know Their Name; Know Their Story

Across continents and cultures, the same truth remains: to know someone is to change how you see the world. Read on for a reflection on listening, courage, and the art of being known.

Dr. Tom Wagner

Sep 7, 20257 min read

People dining and chatting in a rustic restaurant with brick walls. Plates of food and drinks on wooden tables create a lively atmosphere at Dr. Tom Wagner's sold out, first ever Sunday Morning Cafe Event on 7-20-2025

Back Porch Wisdom from Our First SMC Event

Sometimes the Sacred moves through scripture. Sometimes, through a favorite song playing in the background while the bread bakes. This reflection explores how simple meals and real conversations can become holy ground.

Dr. Tom Wagner

Jul 27, 20254 min read

A father and daughter, holding hands, gaze at a starry sky beside a lake. One points upwards. Trees frame the scene, creating a peaceful nighttime mood.

Rendezvous

Maybe the Sacred is already reaching for you, in the spaces only you recognize. Read on for a reflection on unexpected altars, inked stars, and the God who meets us there.

Dr. Tom Wagner

Jun 29, 20255 min read

Latte with a heart-shaped foam art sitting and waiting to bring you joy.

Latte for Lent.

Some beauty exists for no other reason than to delight you—like a perfect heart in a latte, made just to make you smile.

Dr. Tom Wagner

Mar 2, 20254 min read

Rendezvous: Meeting the Divine in Your Own Way

The Sacred doesn’t need a sanctuary. What if God is waiting for you in the places unique to you—under the stars, beside an old tree, or in the quiet corners of memory?

Dr. Tom Wagner

Dec 15, 20244 min read

Explore the full archive of Sunday Morning Café blogs from 2009 through 2024.

BLOG ARCHIVE

CATEGORIES

Soul Mates

Unbroken: Part Two

Unbroken

Marriage Isn’t Hard Work; It’s Mostly Play

In Praise of the Good Enough

A Place in Time

A Muscular Gratitude

A Prison Guard Becomes Best Friends with His Inmate

Know Their Name; Know Their Story

Back Porch Wisdom from Our First SMC Event

Rendezvous

Latte for Lent.

Rendezvous: Meeting the Divine in Your Own Way

Explore the full archive of Sunday Morning Café blogs from 2009 through 2024.

Receive weekly Sunday Morning Café essays in your inbox.