Join me on a blessed and heartfelt journey of discovery!

The New, The Shiny, The Sugary

January 31, 2022March 2, 2022
by admin

Over the last few weeks, I have watched a single, lone narcissus plant flourish along the edge of one of the dirt paths I walk in our neighborhood. Not native to our area, I wonder how it came to find its home in an area that is not under anyone’s care other than Mother Nature’s. More importantly, I have enjoyed watching its transformation in such a short time.

When I first encountered it with my husband, there was but a single, fragile bloom with the promise of more. As the days progressed with rain and sunshine, I have witnessed the single flower turn to several as the plant shares its glory with me and others that pass by.

Energy Flows

Listening to the Trees Share Their Wisdom

December 31, 2021
by admin

Abundance. Flow. Energy. The words came easily as I wrote them down. Truth, power, transform, evolve, visible, clarity, intuition, and more. Some seemed close, like visible, emerge and become, but they weren’t quite right. I paused in my search for my word for 2022, setting the task aside for another time. The new year was still over a week away, and surely the correct word would find me as had happened the past two years.

A Heartfelt Journey

The Magic of Gratitude

November 24, 2021November 25, 2021
by admin

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I have been pondering the meaning and influence of gratitude. It seems such a simple, unimportant aspect of life, yet, there is great power in its practice, or lack thereof, whichever the case may be.

Read more “The Magic of Gratitude” →

A Heartfelt Journey

New Beginnings

October 26, 2021
by admin

Letting go of something you have loved and nurtured for so long is not easy. Recognizing you don’t have the energy or patience to continue nourishing it as you once did is not easy either. Yet, that is where I find myself today. After building a business and guiding it with care for thirty years, today is the day I let go. Today it becomes someone else’s obligation and no longer my weight of responsibility.… Someone who will have the energy and fortitude to continue guiding it, making the adjustments as needed with the tender loving care it deserves.

A Hero Among Us and the Hometown Boy

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021
by admin

I truly am not sure when I first met Charles Sommer, aka Mr. Lompoc, but it seems it must have been at a youth sporting event of some sort. Perhaps it was at his mother’s deli, but it was definitely through sports that I got to know Charles a bit better and came to witness and appreciate how he interacted with the youth in our community, giving them respect and genuinely listening to their concerns, hopes and dreams. And yet, it took many years for me to learn how involved Charles was in this community into which he was born.

Mother Nature

Dear Trees, Thank You for Your Gift of Shade

August 30, 2021August 30, 2021
by admin

It was a Saturday, and we had committed to spending the day with our granddaughter so her parents might have time to just be themselves instead of parents, if only for a short while. Fortunately, while breezy, it was a lovely sunny day, and I had planned activities that we could quickly pivot to as a toddler’s attention span seems to adjust every few minutes. From playing chase outside, giggling with each other as we lay on the grass gazing at the sky, to more structured activities like playing golf with the golf set her grandfather had gifted her, we were keeping her busy. Read more “Dear Trees, Thank You for Your Gift of Shade” →

Reflections and Lessons

The Curiosity and Wonder of A Beginner’s Mind

May 13, 2021
by admin

Dance has taught me many things in my life. The need for balance and positioning myself so that I am ready for the next steps to be executed. It has taught me how to move to the music of the world and how to be flexible, not just in the movement but in adapting to a change in rhythm or a prop suddenly in the way. It has taught me discipline and hard work bring their own rewards. More importantly perhaps, it has taught me that in approaching things from a learning perspective with curiosity and wonder, a beginner’s mind, the world of opportunity opens up.

Heroes Among Us

A Hero, An Artist and the Tiny Prints

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021
by admin

‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.’ I first encountered these words in a little framed picture of a butterfly that had been left on the counter where I work. Despite asking several people, no one could account for how this miniature piece of artwork had found its way to its new home where it has remained for several years. Simple and profound words that, unbeknownst to me at the time, built a connection between Nita Streetman and I. A reminder of the importance of kindness and soon I would learn, a reminder as well, at how we are all connected, unknowingly impacting each other.

Mindfulness

Wildflowers and Unexpected Opportunities

March 3, 2021
by admin

Looking forward to a couple of days with no work obligations, the weekend is always enticing as it sparkles with opportunity. A little time to catch up on my reading. A bit of time to take care of home finances and maybe even some housework. Spend sometime with my husband not worried about what time it is. Sleep in perhaps, or, perhaps take an extra long walk with Sierra, my dog. Better yet, a long hike on dirt paths surrounded by green foliage and maybe wildflowers or at the beach listening to the music of the ocean. Those are the enticing activities with which I so often look forward. And sometimes, I push those things aside when an unexpected opportunity presents itself for adventure, a new place to explore or people to chat with that I don’t normally see. Housework can wait. The bills can wait. My exercise routine can wait.

Reflections and Lessons

Under All the Chocolate Cake, Frosting and Vanilla Creme

February 26, 2021February 26, 2021
by admin

It is a story that is quite old in our family, one that has been retold several times at Christmas, Thanksgiving…anytime we are all together. It is now fondly regaled with lots of laughter but when it happened there was no laughter involved. There was anger. There were harsh words. There was a feeling of unworthiness. Then silence.

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