Emotional Health – Join me on a blessed and heartfelt journey of discovery!

The Hero Making Something Beautiful from Broken Glass

August 17, 2023August 2, 2023
by admin

Guided drift. A term coined by the late Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers fame to describe his life’s path, and as Ann Saunders McCarty’s story unfolded, I kept hearing these two words. Guided drift. A path previously unseen making itself known. A trajectory changed. A willingness to follow new opportunities. A resilience to learn from plans that didn’t work out and take a different tack. Ann ultimately understands that previous experiences, good and bad, joyful and painful, lead her to where she is today. Read more “The Hero Making Something Beautiful from Broken Glass” →

Reflections and Lessons

Finding Hope in an Unexpected Place

June 7, 2023
by admin

Recently, I attended a local school board meeting. Because of a few items on the agenda, it was standing room only, and I found myself in the hallway for a couple of hours with a group of high school students and their two advisors. We were all waiting for our turn to make our presentations, and though we listened to what was happening in the boardroom, as is the nature of these events, we found ourselves whispering pleasantries to one and another as well as a few comments about what was transpiring in the other room. Read more “Finding Hope in an Unexpected Place” →

Reflections and Lessons

Holding My Mother’s Hand in New Found Awareness

May 11, 2023May 11, 2023
by admin

It’s ugly, it’s beautiful, and it’s complicated. There is pain, and there is joy, frustration and acceptance, gratitude, and sadness. With so many contrasts in one relationship, it is hard to define my feelings for my mother. It is also why I feel a contradictory ambiguity, sprinkled with guilt, as each Mother’s Day approaches.

Mindfulness

Smiling at the Noise of the World

July 25, 2022July 25, 2022
by admin

Noise. There is so much noise right now. Whether it is the war in Ukraine, climate challenges, the stance that SCOTUS is taking, another mass shooting, the revelations of the January 6th Hearings, or a myriad of other perceived threats, there is a lot of noise. A lot of noise, discomfort, and for me this morning, a lot of overwhelm.

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.

Mindfulness

Blank Space in the Margins of Your Life

October 28, 2020October 28, 2020
by admin

Buried in work and responsibilities I have felt stuck these last few weeks with the space in the margins of my planner seemingly to have disappeared. We’ve had family birthdays to celebrate, future plans begging to be made, previous commitments needing to be honored and figuring out the whole voting thing, that in and of itself is a time eater. All this in addition to the day to day necessities to navigate. And, with the current COVID landscape, it seems everything takes. Just. That. Little. Bit. Longer. Leaving little time for the extras.

Mindfulness

Walking the Path of Awareness and Healing

September 17, 2020November 24, 2020
by admin

I am an adult. Adult responsibilities. Bills to pay, children to lead, tasks to accomplish, a home to clean and maintain. And yet, there is still a little three-year-old inside of me demanding attention over and over again in the most inopportune times and the unlikeliest of places. I have also witnessed this with many other ‘adults’ who, regardless of their chronological age, are reduced to toddlers demanding what they want even when there is a lack of logic behind the request. I have pondered this for many years and joked with coworkers and friends alike, not understanding the significance of these tantrums, but the dots finally connected for me this week.

Reflections and Lessons

Being Comfortable with the Uncomfortable

August 20, 2020August 20, 2020
by admin

My husband has joked with me through the years about my visits to the beach. Though I enjoy the beach I had developed a very particular experience that I wanted to have when there. It couldn’t be too hot or too cold. Too sunny or too cloudy. I did enjoy a slight breeze but definitely not something that could be called wind. I enjoyed the sand when it was warm to walk on, too hot was definitely not preferred and too cold was not fun. He even teased me that there was too much sand. (Sad to say there were a few times when I would bemoan the amount of sand that kept finding itself on my towel.) I was Goldilocks personified.

Energy Flows

When the Door Closes on Childhood Memories

August 6, 2020
by admin

My childhood is long past and is but memories, catalogued like still pictures in a picture album. Rather ephemeral and elusive most times, I don’t give it a lot of thought in my day to day activities. Then something happens and portions of it solidify, eliciting emotion that I thought was long gone, reminding me of experiences forgotten and buried. Reminding me that in getting on with the business of growing up and becoming an adult, my childhood didn’t go away and is still very much a part of this grown up version of me.

Uncategorized

Endings~Today, This Moment

April 16, 2020April 16, 2020
by admin

As my boys were growing up they were involved in the usual team sports, soccer (AYSO-all your Saturdays occupied), basketball and baseball with thankfully only one season of football thrown in. My husband and I being the dedicated parents we thought we were supposed to be, were not content to sit on the sidelines and the majority of the time we found ourselves as coach, assistant coach, ref, team mom, etc. There always seemed to be need and not enough volunteers. Though the sports merry-go-round seemed to constantly spin and at times was overwhelming, those are memories that I cherish.

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