https://www.johnpryansr.com/johns-book daily 0.75 2021-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce435d6bea1ed00016ba287/1558964652247-5MWXNMFZVOPGE4TY6U2Q/MHeiderich_ReflexionenZwei-05-copy.jpg His Book https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1611601346343-TUPHP9CN8AGDWY912TOH/TakingYouToPlaces_mockUp.jpg His Book - TAKING YOU TO PLACES YOU WOULD RATHER NOT GO: A Journey with Cancer Paperback and Kindle ebook available now on Amazon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1613408298608-DPWDV99XM8IDQRUWJOZT/audiobook-mockup_john+ryan.jpg His Book - FREE AUDIO BOOK Listen and Download: Taking You to Places You Would Rather Not Go https://www.johnpryansr.com/healing-practices daily 0.75 2021-02-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612458692770-P5OYTT1OZRHGSWVLFIH4/JPRFlipD4.pages+1.jpg Healing Practices https://www.johnpryansr.com/readers-guide daily 0.75 2021-02-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce435d6bea1ed00016ba287/1558964652247-5MWXNMFZVOPGE4TY6U2Q/MHeiderich_ReflexionenZwei-05-copy.jpg Reader’s Guide https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1611685250815-PDNRR0X5GWY96WWHGSFT/pexels-cottonbro-4865515.jpg Reader’s Guide - DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR READING GROUPS A Four Week Program https://www.johnpryansr.com/resources daily 0.75 2026-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1613409934454-TJDOE6CW4O9ZHVEX7PHN/audiobook-mockup_john+ryan.jpg Resources TAKING YOU TO PLACES YOU WOULD RATHER NOT GO Free Audio Book – Listen and Download Here > https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/ed660a22-aadb-48b0-8a87-4e342f0db5cb/IMG_0575.jpg Resources - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/e1faa77f-be8f-4839-996b-909033cbd647/IMG_9860.jpg Resources - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/cee83672-3110-496f-be73-19c4d7a34eee/IMG_9859.jpg Resources - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/93964097-1066-44c0-87d0-3924c1905df5/IMG_9862.jpg Resources - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/21439318-2150-4c20-8d5d-44bd791d3d8d/IMG_9861.jpg Resources - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/700ccc19-e403-4206-9450-0e8f3233f2eb/IMG_9865.jpg Resources - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1616018417985-7EEQY8ZRPCB1VFPY0F6F/books+copy.jpg Resources These two books by Victor Frankl were read and reread by John. Both books were filled with notes in the margins. They speak with great clarity to courage and strength of will, making choices, enduring in the face of great suffering, and the search for ultimate meaning. These two books bridge psychotherapy, theology, philosophy in very down to earth ways. They speak to the quest to find true meaning in a life. Books relevant to all of us whatever our circumstances. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612461041443-QUWWK5HR1E7G2HI1TB4M/HealingAndWholenessCover.jpg Resources - A book John read and learned from. More accurately, a book he lived. John Sanford was a Jungian therapist and a Christian. “Healing and Wholeness” is a thoughtful book. A guide to learning from illness. Here we get insights and glimpses of the tasks we face of the path to individuation and wholeness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612461329186-PQGZYWAGE56AFQTGBFF4/OtherSideOfSilence_cover.jpeg Resources - Morton Kelsey’s book, “The Other Side of Silence”, helped John move ahead with a sure foot in his new found journaling practice and in his prayer life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612461613836-KKU5RZI7QA6M4IXN0XKX/DeathComes...cover.jpeg Resources - John loved Willa Cather’s novel, “Death Comes For The Archbishop”. His copy of the book has his hand written notes calling this “pure writing”. Much to be learned here from this life story about integrity, courage, faith, the mystery of grace in a fully lived life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612461695191-870SQ8R8PHVUPQCGYPL1/ADeathInTheFamily_cover.jpeg Resources - John never read James Agee’s masterful novel, “A Death in the Family”. His wife and his four children, however, lived this story of grief and loss. We see here the poetry and heartbreak of a family. This book is what John would call “pure writing”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1613158189756-5HNFO0H5D68MKXQEQ45Z/TheWayItIs+cover.JPG Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612461773352-EGOFV78Z2FN9EO526772/TheWayItIs_poem.jpeg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1614788844460-FMA5Z3MODHHL59QJRZ9G/IMG_3452.JPG Resources - “Always We Begin Again” A book of daily meditations based on the Benedictine rule. John’s adult children found this book helpful and a way to remember their parents. This book is a call to see with new eyes. A call to be open to moments of grace and transcendence in everyday life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1614788973602-15RIU10SVZZ1ECPXGSNE/IMG_3454.jpg Resources - “Life is a Gift” This documentary type book is based on 93 interviews with men and women who were residents in the Alive Hospice in Nashville. It describes their hopes and regrets. A powerful call to use our time wisely and to live fully. https://www.johnpryansr.com/talks-and-worshops daily 0.75 2021-02-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1613158903476-7J87WDSVW05W1QOLHSHU/IMG_3120.jpg Talks and Worshops - We are happy to offer talks and facilitate workshops based on John Ryan's book, "Taking You To Places You Would Rather Not Go" including drawing on our own learnings and caregiving experience (his four adult children), and our familiarity with best current thinking. https://www.johnpryansr.com/photos daily 0.75 2021-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/421e5d61-073a-4f61-895b-420e0fc684a1/Photo+1.jpg Photos John displays a knowing smile wearing the ‘Pig Shirt,’ named for its bright pink hue. It was the only T-shirt he ever owned, given by his family in jest. Photo taken in late 1994, during remission, outside his Holland, PA home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/f92f5b04-d799-47fb-95be-b6fe49635c95/3.jpg Photos John enjoys the beach at Big Sur, California in 1992. This stop was part of a drive along the Pacific Coast Highway with Joe, his eldest son. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/ec82a11c-2d80-400d-bd12-2aa800177f60/4.jpg Photos Cancer took 35 pounds from John after his first surgery. Surgeons removed a portion of his stomach, and ongoing chemotherapy damaged his taste buds, dampening his appetite. Seen here, a large smile still dominates his drawn face in 1992. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/318e67ee-a92a-4a11-9385-797e751120a7/Photo+5.jpg Photos North Catholic High School https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/6e4e49a1-6724-432c-a93b-33849b11242a/6.jpg Photos Hands in the dirt, or on a violin–some days within minutes of each other–if football and orchestra practices ran consecutively. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/25a55930-4d08-4748-bed8-736e255f963f/7.jpg Photos John participated in a number of extra-curriculars in high school. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/11f7ce66-8aed-4d2b-9b6f-84c4c5a9c92f/8.jpg Photos 1949 college year book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/aef7073e-c127-40c3-9733-31bc47f5e1f1/9.jpg Photos John’s deep and lifelong interest in philosophy took root in the Philosophy Club at LaSalle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/8cad9c51-4e17-4bce-9b72-6aed1c691e5b/13.jpg Photos Philosophy Club at LaSalle https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/d613823d-2a3b-4871-8aaf-6a997ac46bd0/11.jpg Photos He also found his leadership voice at LaSalle as Senior Class President (sitting front right) and as a member of the Student Council. He earned all A’s that year as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/bf11b819-3da5-4284-9400-bc81c59e00db/14A.jpg Photos John and Nancy at the LaSalle Harvest Dance in 1949. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/402f95e7-22b9-4b8b-b659-f7885067cdb9/14B.jpg Photos John and Nancy, recently engaged, on the Atlantic City boardwalk. 1950’s dress protocol: a suit and tie for men; a suit for women, complete with hat, gloves and high heels. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/c1d437bf-90d9-445c-81d7-17c81dcfff41/15.jpg Photos The couple leaving church after their wedding. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/a9514b42-0571-4eae-9e66-f23d6d9cc018/16.jpg Photos Easter photo on the front lawn of their first home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/261d99b9-57d3-4a35-9945-ea9753ee53f8/17.jpg Photos As a young father: John with his completed family - three sons and a young daughter, approximately four or five years old, standing outside of Assumption BVM Church, circa 1961-62. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/26adaa70-f9de-44dc-8d45-299b162ddfb7/19.jpg Photos Michael, Patty, and Jack at a baseball game with John. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/06fb7453-ec01-4d6a-a558-f3f1beb75928/20.jpg Photos All three boys (eldest to youngest) Joe, Michael and John Junior (Jack) at the beach with their dad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/e09da79a-3536-4d9f-8389-3c2890e193a2/18.jpg Photos All three boys (eldest to youngest) Joe, Michael and John Junior (Jack) rowing on the bay in Wildwood, NJ with their dad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/5f2417c5-3d6e-4603-a499-2b4e3f0f894b/Photo+21.jpg Photos As a young grandfather: John, 57, teaches his oldest grandchild, Kevin (age 7) how to raise the flag at the family vacation spot in Avalon, NJ in 1984. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/58d0c336-8a9c-4dee-b45c-ae44152a8c52/26.jpg Photos The college class president became a senior executive in his mid 30s with Horn and Hardart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/0f727811-2477-4b71-87b4-9ced577f8a52/Photo+27.jpg Photos Horn and Hardart, a pioneer in automat food services. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/0f18b528-b011-42b4-940a-a0614857323d/29.jpg Photos As a director of the firm, John was featured prominently in company promotions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/76d97aab-95c5-498d-a002-b33115555ce7/28.jpg Photos As a director of the firm, John was featured prominently in company promotions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/80e4234b-7427-4bb1-bb16-9b7e841b09e8/31.jpg Photos Later in life (his mid-50s) John and his brother Bob, shown here, opened a restaurant—Seafood America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/da433175-4420-4727-b47a-8c5d244cc871/Photo+30.jpg Photos On sunny days, he often stopped work to watch the sun set and urged the kitchen staff to step outside with him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/310647a4-4717-432b-9ff1-b6e1b5765358/Photo+32.jpg Photos John worked long hours in the kitchen and made his faith known to his employees via a cross on the wall in the food preparation area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/96491fa5-73b8-4a5d-8879-3924304ff4fe/Photo+33.jpg Photos During this time, married and work life merged, as Nancy and John worked long hours together in the restaurant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/782b162d-2565-40e6-b974-718623294c2e/22.jpg Photos John and Nancy, during his 39-month journey with cancer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/ecc03798-f2b9-4ac8-b043-cce7084ed760/23.jpg Photos John and Nancy, during the ups and downs of John’s illness, the couple posed for photos in many locations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/3e784a6b-dc19-4c41-8634-43c22290e400/24c.jpg Photos At John’s 65th birthday party https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/33df7a5e-dc29-4ec3-8d1e-b8f6f83c3db5/34.jpg Photos A significant high point in John’s days of remission: all three generations of his family, along with his brother and sister, and numerous friends, celebrated his 65th birthday. Shown here, John looks straight into the camera, focused on his role as patriarch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/799f87ac-f07f-481a-a72a-fcbd984bb145/Photo+36.jpg Photos John and his oldest child, Joe, on the beach at Big Sur, repeating a theme that is almost as old as the family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/c731b1e1-35f1-43d4-af35-fc7378e03605/37.jpg Photos John and Patty sitting in front of the flower garden at John’s house. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/ac4a7afc-8fd1-4816-821d-fc9302d9be96/Photo+25.jpg Photos A day of grace: In remission, under a bright sun, John and Nancy revel in a day at the beach in Wildwood, NJ 1994. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/3e98a144-7e0c-4c64-969b-042fac61f3c8/38.jpg Photos John and Nancy at the beach during a visit to Florida. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/7891265e-908e-4bdd-bb6e-22d99025e23d/39.jpg Photos John on the beach in New Jersey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612387013163-ZEPTH9ST8JUYL8DGFDPP/40.jpg Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612387060309-UIBE615ILLDZKWIQLMGQ/41.jpg Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612387241794-KF5EN2FL0NL2RBWIKXSS/42B.jpg Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612388703524-PN5BLGUEJ8WFVDGVEMNS/Photo%2B43.jpg Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612388737043-RXD88FMXYDAQFBVKAFQH/Photo%2B44.jpg Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612388761722-QVRBPW24MDTBL5P48X9W/Photo%2B45.jpg Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612388930435-YQCBM1CQWOVAI81UV04B/46.jpg Photos John and Nancy, robust, in early adulthood, with four young children, take their version of an iconic American photo during the 1950s: Everyone in their Easter Best on the family lawn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1612389012095-QVEAKJ9XE0RPNH1P89V6/47.jpg Photos Like a river of time, John’s ‘eternal now’ moved along, carrying his children to where he and Nancy had been—young adults with children of their own, the cycle of life repeating. Shown here, the children and grandchildren of John and Nancy, the legacy of love and intentional parenting, reaching to a third generation. https://www.johnpryansr.com/general-1 daily 1.0 2021-02-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1611598564493-YMP745YST6UIPVFEZDNM/2.jpg About John - JOHN’S STORY He faced cancer head on and left us a great gift. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1611599065665-379UCJ76RBJF3IC6V8EC/TakingYouToPlaces_mockUp.jpg About John This book describes the moving spiritual journey of a remarkable man, John Ryan, told in his own words. While there are many accounts of terminal illness, few have achieved the candor and depth of spiritual insight on display in this volume. With a razor-sharp honesty, John Ryan describes his ups and downs, his fluctuations between despair and hope, and his search for a spirituality that transcends death. While the book is deeply grounded in the best of the Catholic Christian tradition, it explores the meaning of the sacredness of life and the far reaches of grace through an eclectic range of novels, spiritual teachings, and rituals of care. — from the Foreword by Larry R. Churchill, PhD, Stahlman Professor of Medical Ethics Emeritus, Vanderbilt University https://www.johnpryansr.com/contact daily 0.75 2021-02-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce435d6bea1ed00016ba287/1558964652247-5MWXNMFZVOPGE4TY6U2Q/MHeiderich_ReflexionenZwei-05-copy.jpg Contact https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1613403957203-J9IT9A8ZT692X5DCRLUO/IMG_0200.jpg Contact https://www.johnpryansr.com/reviews-1 daily 0.75 2021-02-16 https://www.johnpryansr.com/music daily 0.75 2021-11-05 https://www.johnpryansr.com/grieving daily 0.75 2023-10-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1636049051973-55J1JB9F8L2GBQ8F680X/IMG_4818.jpg Grieving https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1636049098343-I09DP2EJMAT1RKLOED4Q/IMG_4817.jpg Grieving https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1636049145975-G1W835YRTE8RG4JM8X6T/IMG_4815.jpg Grieving https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1636049191819-K0CDSY6OLD3UVHS9NRY5/mike-labrum-fvl4b1gjpbk-unsplash.jpg Grieving https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/bd9ba820-0312-4495-82b6-b88ab2b92d58/IMG_0483.jpg Grieving - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/a4a931ee-d4cd-407d-b28b-a85f4129104b/TB_JPGWebsite.jpg Grieving - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.johnpryansr.com/a-biographical-profile daily 0.75 2022-11-22 https://www.johnpryansr.com/her-last-day daily 0.75 2022-11-22 https://www.johnpryansr.com/recollections daily 0.75 2023-01-20 https://www.johnpryansr.com/resources-on-caregiving daily 0.75 2022-11-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/c139c80e-acd5-4ce0-aba3-2bc9c332c523/IMG_7301.jpg Resources on Caregiving - “On Caring”” The first is a book John read during his illness. That book, Milton Mayeroff’s, “On Caring”, is more philosophical. It is a short book, 104 pages, first published in 1971. It is a serious book but a very readable book. Not academic. Not esoteric. Rather, a book that helps us understand caring as both relationship-driven and as a worldview. This book, much like Martin Buber’s “I and Thou”, helps you see caring as relational, as a lived dialogue, and, importantly, a way of ordering one’s own life. Authentic caring creates what the author calls being “in-place”. Those who are “in-place” experience contentment and clarity and can face hardships with equanimity. They are steady and present to others. In caring for others, they are better equipped to help others face the unknown and the unfathomability of a serious illness. John’s copy of this book was filled with underlining and his handwritten notes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/1152fad5-f236-4a45-a1a6-b71246d447c4/IMG_7304.JPG Resources on Caregiving - “Hope for Caregivers” The second book, “Hope for Caregivers: a 42-Day Devotional in Company With Henri J. M. Nouwen”, is more a Nancy kind of book. It is very concrete and practical. It is literally a 42-day devotional, a prayer book, based on the theologian Henri Nouwen’s writings. It offers readers wisdom, guidance, and hope. This book literally is a resource. It is something to read and hold onto in dark moments given the shocks and stresses and sadness that accompany a serious illness. This too is a short book, only 80 pages. It was published in August, 2022. Obviously, Nancy never read this book, but it is exactly the kind of book she would be attracted too. https://www.johnpryansr.com/eternity-and-day daily 0.75 2025-09-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/241790a7-e0b7-4578-9d28-24934bb492b3/IMG_2592.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6006c98de8c063189b6f45fd/529ce350-0e32-450a-b0c0-6e5c82798627/IMG_2542.JPG