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February 20, 2020February 19, 2020
by admin

We are all teachers and yet we are all students when we allow ourselves to witness another’s story. I truly believe that everyone has a story of interest with lessons we can learn from and be inspired by. I know I have experienced this with many different people throughout my life. People that have given me hope or insight into how things can be better. Sometimes they have been the light on the path when there is darkness, the encouraging word to believe in myself when I didn’t, but more often than not, they have shown me a different way to approach this thing we call life and for that I am eternally grateful. These are my heroes.

Grief, The Price for Love

February 13, 2020February 12, 2020
by admin

It was a brief conversation I had with a friend as we discussed our common experience. I had lost my dad a short two years ago and she had lost her mother in the past year. The discussion was a few sentences of shared feelings, of how we each hadn’t realized how connected to our parent we had been and of how there was a lack of acceptance in our community for our mourning. And then the conversation moved on, but the words had intrigued me and I reflected on them for several days. There seems to be an unspoken taboo in our society about showing grief or mourning the loss of a loved one unless it is done quietly, behind closed doors where you aren’t seen. In general, grief for any loss or transition is not tolerated beyond the first brief time frame of a few days by our society. We are told to ‘get over it’ , ‘move on’ , ‘they are in a better place’ , ‘everything happens for the best’ or a multitude of other platitudes in an effort to move us beyond this place of sadness. While I truly believe these things are said in good will, I also believe they are stated because the person speaking them is uncomfortable being in this place of grief with us. I get it, it is not an easy or fun place to be and I have also witnessed someone being stuck in this place, but overall my experience has been that we hurry through it. We push the pain away, deny the tears and are afraid to acknowledge the impact or changes in our life as we go about our day to day activities as if nothing is different. Read more “Grief, The Price for Love” →

Reflections and Lessons

A High School Hangover

February 6, 2020February 4, 2020
by admin

I had the chance encounter with someone that I had associated with in high school a few years back. We had not been close but had many mutual friends during our teenage years and our paths had crossed on a regular basis with friendly interaction the norm. Many years had passed before our paths crossed again at a public function. I acknowledged her with a smile and greeting, however, she acted as if we had never met and remained very distant. I thought this strange and took on the burden of her reaction thinking I must have done or said something that warranted the treatment. Believing this was a one time encounter I didn’t pursue the issue and didn’t even give it much thought for quite some time. Then, several months later, she joined the adult dance class I was in. Again, week after week, she treated me not only as a stranger but as if I didn’t exist. Wow, I must have really done something, I chastised myself, ceasing my friendly overtures and mentally shrugging because you can’t fix something if you don’t know what the problem is. Read more “A High School Hangover” →

Mindfulness

It’s the Small Things

January 30, 2020January 29, 2020
by admin

Daily walks with my dog in our neighborhood have become my morning ritual. The differing paths we take covering 1.5-2 miles each day are an opportunity to enjoy the brisk temperatures in the colder months and the warmth of the sun other times of the year. I have found so much to be thankful for on these treks not the least of which is my dear walking companion. There is also the birdsong, the caress of the breeze (or the forceful shove of the wind) and other walkers that we have come to know over the years. Initially our encounters were brief, a good morning or hello but as time went on we now spend a few minutes catching up with each others lives. Such simple pleasures but probably one of my most joyous times of the day. Read more “It’s the Small Things” →

Reflections and Lessons

Just Say…

January 23, 2020January 21, 2020
by admin

No. It is a simple one word statement. A word made of just two sounds. A word to tell someone the ‘opportunity’ they have presented me is not one I wish to take. This single word, however, has been rather elusive in my vocabulary when being asked to help or assist someone. I have witnessed plenty of people that don’t have trouble saying ‘no’ and they have told me it’s easy. Just say ‘no.’ Despite this advice I kept finding myself with too many tasks and responsibilities. I wasn’t letting this word do the heavy lifting for me. If you are like me, seeing need and not wanting to let people down, here are some steps I have found helpful in letting this simple two letter word work for me.

You Make a Difference

January 15, 2020January 14, 2020
by admin

‘You make a difference.’ The words were spoken with gratitude and conviction, catching me off guard but they echoed through my mind for days. What a sweet acknowledgment from someone about how something I had done had impacted her life in a positive way. Someone I didn’t know. Someone I hadn’t met before. The action she was commenting on was not a grand gesture but just something I do in the normal course of my work. A practice others have felt unnecessary and challenged me about but I have continued due to my beliefs. And yes, while I believed this action would ultimately help someone, this was the first time I had proof positive that it had accomplished the intended outcome.

Read more “You Make a Difference” →

Mindfulness

It’s a New Year, It’s a New Day

January 8, 2020January 8, 2020
by admin

I made it through Christmas with just a bit of drama which is still being played out today but that is a another story for another day because today it is the New Year. New Year’s day to be exact. A day I had eagerly anticipated with a bit of excitement. So much had changed for me in the last few years and I was looking forward to what the future held.

In preparation for this day I did my due diligence and I reflected on 2019. I projected what I would like 2020 to be. I chose my word for the year, (though perhaps it chose me at the direction of the universe, something I am still pondering). And yet, now the day is here, I feel stuck and lethargic; wondering where the sense of anticipation and quiet excitement had gone. In many ways it reminded me of how I felt as a young girl on Christmas day after the presents had been unwrapped, the paper and ribbon placed in the trash and the tree looking quite lonely with no colorful packages nestling up against it. There is an emptiness that settled in and didn’t want to seem to budge.

As I scrolled through Instagram (not that I recommend Social Media for healing or reflection but as with everything, there are pros and cons) I came across a brief comment from someone that said ‘Remember, just because it is a new year, you are still you. You didn’t change over night.’ So true I thought briefly and began to go about my day, but the comment kept coming back to me. So I sat with it and thought a bit more about how I was feeling. As I looked deeper I found that I had somehow, somewhere, in all my preparation for the new year built up an expectation that things were going to somehow be different. That with the turn of a calendar page everything would be shiny and sparkling, full of promise and no regrets. As I embraced the thought I am still me, still trying to figure out how to get along in this crazy world, I felt the heaviness that had been weighing me down leave.

So dear friends, I share with you this lesson that I seem to need to relearn at regular intervals. Just because it’s a new year on the calendar, doesn’t mean we magically healed when the ball dropped at Times Square. Just because we have mastered how to coexist with the person at work that continually triggered us doesn’t mean we won’t be triggered. Just because we do our self care everyday doesn’t mean there won’t be angst and frustration. All these things happen so that we can grow and change because there isn’t a final destination or finish line to cross if we are still breathing. The reality is this is a journey. A life long journey filled with a myriad of experiences for us to learn and grow from, to support and to share our love for one and another. A journey to experience all that life has to offer, good and bad. Armed with the insight and acceptance of this lesson once again, the day took on the sparkle of promise that had seemed so elusive just a short time before.

Wishing you much love and acceptance for yourself and your daily happenstance on your heartfelt journey! ~♥~

~Life is a journey, not a destination.~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflections and Lessons

A Word

December 30, 2019
by admin

New Year’s resolutions never really held much attraction for me and were not something I ever put into practice. I used the excuse it was because I had heard so many people abandon their resolutions in a matter of months if not days, so why bother following what seemed an impractical practice? In all honesty, however, I don’t believe practicality entered the equation. I believe I was more afraid of failing. Afraid of not achieving a goal I had put out to the universe and perhaps had been ill-conceived at its inception. This didn’t mean I didn’t try to change and grow, have better health, save more money, read more books and a myriad of other things I wished to accomplish. It just meant there was no definitive goal. Read more “A Word” →

Mindfulness

‘Tis the Gift Receiving Season

December 11, 2019December 9, 2019
by admin

For my family December is a month of traditions. Special foods, celebrations, decorations, music, candy canes, snowmen, elves, family, friends, and gifts. With all this activity, gifts however, seem to dominate and be an integral part of the month whether arrival is by Santa’s sleigh, a silent angel or someone we know well. I have always enjoyed giving gifts to others, trying to find that special something that will light up their eyes or be treasured for years to come. Not always an easy task and not always accomplished but there is still the challenge in trying and joy in succeeding . Read more “‘Tis the Gift Receiving Season” →

Mother Nature

Mother Nature-It’s A Wrap!

December 4, 2019December 3, 2019
by admin

Earlier this year, dear friends, I shared with you a shift in my perspective about how I chose to honor Mother Nature. By simply choosing to share my love and gratitude with her, the activities that had once seemed a burden, instead became a regular part of my daily life with no resentment. With this change in perspective I also began to make more mindful choices about purchases and how I was doing things. I was wanting to mitigate my personal impact on our beloved planet as best I could. With gift giving and all its embellishments now officially on the calendar, I began to wonder if there was a way I could diminish the pile of wrapping paper, gift boxes and ribbon that annually make the trek from my house to the landfill. Here are some alternatives that I have either used in the past or came across in my research and daydreaming.

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