Sunday Morning Café

06/07/2026

A note from the SMC team: Dr. Tom Wagner’s mother, Barbara, passed away on May 29.

As Tom and his family take time to grieve, gather, and make arrangements, we are sharing this article from the archives. In it, Tom reflects on his mother’s strength, humor, aging, vulnerability, and the sacred invitation that can come through caring for those we love.

We hope you’ll receive it not only as a reflection on resilience and love, but also as a way of honoring Barbara’s life and the family who loved her so deeply.

Please join us in keeping Tom and his family in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.

You can read this week’s article here: https://www.tomwagnerspeaker.com/post/presents-in-wrinkled-wrapping-paper-2

06/03/2026

Mary had to “win back” parts of herself one small victory at a time.

Step by step. Conversation by conversation. Handwritten note by handwritten note.

In my Sunday Morning Café article this week, I continue Mary’s story after a rare neurosurgery and explore the resilience resources that carried her through: gratitude, a methodical spirit, deep relationships, and a long-practiced reservoir of stillness.

This is a reflection on recovery, surrender, and a practiced peace.

☕ Read this week’s article or listen to the podcast version. Links to both are in the comments.

05/31/2026

What helps you accept “what is” when life does not give you control?

In this week’s Sunday Morning Café article, Mary’s story continues — from the eve of a risky surgery to a remarkable recovery shaped by gratitude, family, contemplative practice, and “Team Openlander” pulling in the same direction.

Read this week’s article or listen to the podcast version.
📖 Read: https://www.tomwagnerspeaker.com/post/i-shall-die-but-that-is-all-i-shall-do-for-death-the-sequel
🎧 Listen here (or wherever you get your podcasts): https://www.tomwagnerspeaker.com/podcast/episode/208ba120/ep-18-smc-article-i-shall-die-but-that-is-all-i-shall-do-for-death-the-sequel

05/28/2026

Early bird ticket pricing ends this weekend!

Join us on August 2 in St. Louis for Resilience & Creativity: A Live Concert and Conversation with Royce Martin.

I’ll be interviewing Royce through the lens of my work as a resilience researcher and therapist for 30+ years, exploring creativity, music, roots, and the power of art to help us reconnect with ourselves and one another.

Royce is a New York Times-praised, Berklee-trained pianist, composer, and creator of “Swagtime,” with work featured on MAX and Hulu.

Event Details:

🕒 4–6 PM CT
🍷 Doors open at 3 PM for happy hour before the main event
📍 Schroer Commons at Eden Theological Seminary in
🎟️ Link in comments

05/27/2026

Most of us like to imagine we’re standing on solid ground.

But sometimes life asks us to find ground in the very places we’d rather avoid: illness, uncertainty, diminishment, even death.

In this week’s Sunday Morning Café reflection, I share the beginning of Mary’s story, a woman whose rare neurological diagnosis forced her to face outcomes no one wants to imagine. And yet, before surgery, she told her family she was at peace.

The question is not whether life will shake us. The question is: Where do we go to find ground when it does?

☕ Read this week’s article or listen to the podcast version. Links to both are in the comments.

05/24/2026

Spiritual masters have long taught us to contemplate the fleeting nature of life. But most of us avoid that reflection until life gives us no choice.

Mary didn’t choose her reflection on mortality. It arrived through a rare neurological illness, a frightening diagnosis, and the possibility of losing much of what made her life feel like her life.

And still, before surgery, she gathered her husband and sons to tell them she was at peace with any outcome. Including disability. Including death.

Where does such groundedness come from?

Read this week’s article or listen to the podcast version:
📖 Read: https://www.tomwagnerspeaker.com/post/i-shall-die-but-that-is-all-i-shall-do-for-death-part-one
🎧 Listen here (or wherever you get your podcasts): https://www.tomwagnerspeaker.com/podcast/episode/22605018/ep-17-smc-article-i-shall-die-but-that-is-all-i-shall-do-for-death-part-one

05/20/2026

When the fight-or-flight response gets “twitchy,” even small conflicts can feel enormous.

What if your childhood version of play has something to teach your adult nervous system?

In this week’s Sunday Morning Café reflection, I explore how playful aerobic movement can help quiet the internal alarm system, reduce stress, and strengthen resilience over time.

The invitation is simple: reach back > remember what made you feel alive > adjust it for adulthood > bring it into your current life.

☕ Enjoy this song from the Secret Sisters — and then check out the full reflection (link is in the comments).

Provided to YouTube by Redeye WorldwideLittle Again · The Secret SistersYou Don't Own Me Anymore℗ 2017 New West Records, LLCReleased on: 2017-06-09Main Arti...

05/17/2026

What kind of play made you feel alive as a child?

In this week’s Sunday Morning Café reflection, I invite you to reach back for what once felt like play and adjust it for adulthood as a practical recipe for resilience and joy.

Maybe it was pedaling. Maybe it was swimming. Maybe it was chasing a ball across a field. Maybe it was simply being outside and moving your body.

The way you played as a child may hold wisdom for the adult you are now.

☕ Explore the full reflection here: https://www.tomwagnerspeaker.com/post/how-did-you-play-when-you-were-a-child

05/13/2026

Words create worlds. They can also tear them down.

Cognitive psychology teaches us to take a step back and notice the thoughts that attend our painful emotions. You may not be able to “decide” a painful feeling away, but you can notice the conversation you’re having with yourself.

💭 When a painful emotion arrives, notice the thoughts that come with it.
💭 Ask whether those thoughts are useful, realistic, or just old shame renting space in your head.
💭 Then see if you can change the thought ever so slightly into something more spacious and true.

Explore the full reflection (link in comments).