Relationships – Page 2 – Join me on a blessed and heartfelt journey of discovery!

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

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.

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.

Reflections and Lessons

Making a Difference Makes All the Difference

October 22, 2020
by admin

It was a dreary morning as I was walking my dog in the neighborhood. Treasured time for me most mornings as I cleared my thoughts and prepared for the day ahead but on this one particular morning I was lost in thought, not in preparation for the day, but in dread. My business was closed due to the pandemic and I felt lost in the myriad of information presented from so many different sources of how I should be moving forward. My shoulders were heavy and the way forward seemed dim.

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.

Reflections and Lessons

The Delicious Ambiguity of Life

July 14, 2020
by admin

It was a beautiful sunny day with just a bit of a breeze and my husband wanted to go for bike ride up one of the trails near our home. I was hesitant as the hill he wanted to climb was rather steep for about a mile and I was not confident in my ability to make it. He assured me we could turn around at any point so we embarked on our little adventure. Surprisingly, I had requested only one brief stop midway up the hill before resuming our trek. Soon the top came into in view, teasing us with its proximity, and we continued until just a few hundred feet from our destination. And then I stopped. Not a rest stop, but a full on my lungs were burning and my heart felt like it would leap out of my chest at any moment stop. As I stood gasping, straddling my bike with my feet firmly planted on the ground, my husband encouraged me to rest and catch my breath. He maintained we could make it, which really meant he knew he could and was trying to make me believe I could as well. As my breathing relaxed he instructed me to begin riding by heading down hill first before turning back up. Crazy idea I thought and stubbornly hopped back on the bike with the tires pointed straight up hill attempting to pedal. Making no progress other than spinning my wheels in the sand, I stopped, completely defeated and gave my husband that look of ‘I’m done and knew I couldn’t do this’ at which time he again encouraged me to try riding down hill first. Shrugging my shoulders I gave it a try. Then the magic happened. Heading back down hill gave me enough momentum that I was able to turn back up hill and made it to the top of the trail. Progress!

Heroes Among Us

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” →

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: