Awareness greets me each morning, asking, “How will you walk through today?” Almost always, I answer boldly, listing the connections I want to make or projects I’d like to accomplish, desiring to make an impact in the next twenty-four hours. But, on occasion, I whisper, “I have no idea, “my tank is already nearly empty, […]
The lawn is carpeted with yellow fronds—the changing season is in full swing, reminding us of our planet’s ebbs and flows. Yesterday, a student in my grandson’s high school was killed when a speeding driver crashed into a car of teenage boys leaving school. A school bus driver performed CPR, but the boy died in […]
Often, God, I put significant pressure on myself, trying to fix or save or salve wounds that are Yours to manage, regularly disallowing the grace I offer the people I cherish. Much of this comes from my upbringing: wonderful, loving parents but enormous responsibility as the oldest of seven children. During my current reality, I’ve […]
Wounds—the physical and non-physical—usually don’t simply disappear, but many heal with time, gentleness, and a healthy dosage of self-worth. Sadly, traumas that aren’t of our human bodies—a challenging childhood, being bullied or made fun of (it happens even as an adult), loss of a loved one, or emotional abuse—may carry heartbreak or traumatization forever. I often wonder […]
Last evening, sitting with three of my favorite people as the sky melted toward darkness, we shared a simple meal of wine, bread, and lasagna, the bolognese made from a passed-down and tweaked recipe. As dusk settled in, crisp air wafted into the warmly lit foyer as the door opened, a reminder of the ever-changing […]
Hi God, Sitting in the library during my morning tea with You, I have much to be grateful for. Vero is in his fluffy bed on the white loveseat next to me—his favorite stuffed animal under his paw—as I sit and look at nature, especially the stunning maple tree and the towering oaks. There is […]
I sometimes forget to dream and think outside the box I’ve boxed myself into—a routine that’s often so predictable that I’m on auto-pilot, unaware—an automaton filling and emptying dishwashers, doing laundry, cleaning, making the bed, preparing meals (which, are not as eclectic as I’d like) paying bills, then often watching TV for an hour before […]
We generally discern “right” and “wrong” based on early life biases. But what if we’re wrong? What if the lessons we grew up with and adopted marginalize others because of how they think, who they love, or the way they see life? What if others see through entirely different lenses or have life experiences we can’t understand? What if we chose to see only […]
Bliss: euphoria, blessedness, felicity, gladness, joy, paradise. Stress: pressure, agony, dread, worry, disquiet, hardship. Your experiences, mindset, and environments color every part of your reality in this life, and how you treat yourself—whether that’s self-flogging and constantly putting yourself last or self-healing and saying “yes,” to the universe—creates a path. I’m not unrealistic enough to […]
Sitting with tea during my 15 minutes with God this morning reminded me of conversations I had with friends this week. Those ruminations conjured up so many different perspectives—the amazing, the mundane, the obscure, the frivolous, the sorrow-filled and exhausted, and the unbridled joy and fascination in the big picture of life. There were discussions […]
Last week I came home from a trip out west. Our first stop was Mount Rushmore—a 60-foot granite wonder that photos don’t do justice to—in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Then we headed to gorgeous Cody, Montana. Being immersed in environments as lush and mostly uninhabited as we visited makes me want to immerse […]
Have you ever felt a strong desire to experience wanderlust, connect to the larger world, relate to different cultures and experiences, or perhaps see through a lens disparate from your daily one? Most of us may never have the opportunity to breathe in diverse lifestyles or traverse beyond where we were born. But, even if it […]
On Sunday, my beautiful, kind, brilliant, compassionate granddaughter, Lauren, graduated from high school. And as I sat in the bleachers watching over seven hundred seniors walk down the aisle and up to the stage, a wave of nostalgia washed over me, remembering the past seventeen years, the overflowing joy and love. I’ve been incredibly blessed […]
Recollections of decades ago that seem like the distant past, and just yesterday, often dance in my awareness. I hear my inner voice harkening back to what seemed like glory days but, in reality (and retrospect), were often fraught with racism and sexism. I remember the penny candy store, where we could buy red juju […]
Recently, I’ve had some days of “feeling blue,” waking up with a sense of sorrow or gloominess, despite this beautiful season of the year. By nature, I’m a glass-half-full human. Being down hasn’t historically been my typical way of walking through life, so my first thought was “figure it out,” which required being in my […]
Years ago, when my husband and I had breakfast at a diner with our daughter, Sara, and our grandchildren, Lauren & Ethan, we’d play “connect the dots” on the back of a paper placemat that Sara would make a series of dots on. In “Dots and Boxes,” around since the late 1800s, players add horizontal […]
You’re embracing life if you sit down with a cup of tea, coffee (or a glass of wine) and stare out a window, remembering or imagining different versions of you that lit up your spirit or spilled joy into your heart. You’re incredible if you have been “in it alone,” whether parent or caregiver, but kept moving […]
There’s so much we’re visually aware of if we have the gift of sight: the smile on a loved one’s face, a kitchen overflowing with unused items, flowers in full bloom, sorrow when someone homeless is sleeping on a park bench. The list goes on and on. And so much is unseen through our eyes, like sorrow and […]
The flickering filament, barely lighting the room, reminds me of fireflies, the soft-winged beetles whose bioluminescent glow, regulated by the oxygen in their organs, attracts a partner. I love these flying rays of joy. I dance with them, honored to be part of their ceremony, aware of the fleeting hours this show will be on […]
In our lifetimes, most of us wear many hats: parent, grandparent, sister, brother, friend, politician, nurse, writer, partner, artist, banker, chef—the list can be never-ending. What are your roles? Are there many in each day? Under those hats, we sometimes put on masks: serious, happy, fulfilled, peaceful, available, generous, confident, approachable, knowledgeable—this list, too, goes […]
This is a story about the goodness of humans mixed with the apprehension of challenges. I love people. I’ve had primarily beautiful experiences with fellow humans. (Of course, there’ve been dark days when I’ve been scared, hurt, or felt like I was going it alone. I imagine some of you may have experienced that too.) […]
This morning, the sky was blue, gray, and white. Clouds hung in the atmosphere as if suspended by invisible wires. The sight was breathtaking and humbling simultaneously. It truly felt as if I was going to drive right through a giant canvas painted by the hand of God. If we were sculptors, we’d be constrained […]
Today is my grandson Ethan’s sixteenth birthday. It seems like it was just yesterday when he was born. I remember holding him in the NICU, praying for Sara, my daughter, and Ethan to be healthy (Thank You, God, they were.) Years have flown by. Ethan plays basketball and soccer, has wonderful friends, is intelligent, creative, witty, and […]
Hearts will be broken—and thankfully often mended—many times in one’s life. Human angels guide us until we stop and no longer need them once we pass through the veil to the other side (perhaps they hang out with us there, too!). Many of those broken hearts leave our planet much too early (for me). Awareness, […]
I woke up much too early again this morning, but, in an interesting twist, it was positive because I could make my tea before we were without power. Once there was no electricity, the heating pad couldn’t be turned on to help with the arm I hurt (unintentionally, of course); I didn’t throw my daily […]
peace full home®—intentional living 