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, […]
Category Archives: Life
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Time is an incredibly fleeting reality, yet my brain is often on overdrive despite my consciousness of the unhealthiness of that! Thinking about how months, years, and decades fly by, I’ve been contemplating an awareness held for a long time: abundance. All we need to do is turn on the news to see the scarcity that is […]
Awareness and acknowledgment may seem inconsequential, but, in reality, they make a significant difference in our planet’s energy. I’ve always been mindful of sharing what I think if it’s something positive and will walk up to perfect strangers and compliment their hair or outfit or the cuteness of their child and never once has it not elicited a […]
Yesterday, the faith community I’m part of dedicated a new space. It’s not a traditional church; it’s not even a building we own because our philosophy has always been to use our resources to create a safe place where love is paramount, a sense of community is critical, and we can be genuine with each […]
Expectations speak to desired outcomes like: trust, belief, safety, possibility, anticipation or, looking forward. They’re sometimes an assumption, but often they’re deeply rooted longings bolstered by the faith that something petitioned for or desperately needed will come to fruition. What are your great expectations? I asked myself, “what do I desire to create or achieve with this year that’s […]
Nocturnal Panic Attacks False Awakenings Lucid Dreaming They’re all genuine and can make you believe you’re physically dying. The illusion of waking up even though you’re still asleep involves experiences that seem completely real. Eventually, you often become cognizant that you’re actually in a dream, one foot in the tangible world, the other in an altered state. […]
Yesterday, I ran a few errands, then did some final decorating— stringing the Christmas cards we received from friends so I could hang them across the doors. After all, if we’re blessed to receive these greetings of love, shouldn’t we somehow acknowledge them? Too often, I forget what really matters, caught up in the secular […]
Stories about Christmas abound. Some of them are filled with the sadness of missing a loved one. Others recall times, when we were far from home or Christmas didn’t play out the way we painted it in our idyllic imaginations. Mostly, however, the stories we share are the happiest ones. This is one of those […]
As I sit facing the east, in my quiet time with God and my tea, I see the maple tree as the sun rises each morning. She was here before me—graceful and sturdy, a beautiful paradox. My grandchildren used to climb her branches, and each autumn, they would jump in piles of her vibrant, fallen […]
Life’s fragility—much too fleeting or painstakingly stagnant, joyfully overflowing or devastatingly lonely—plays out in this space between human life and death. Sometimes, lines have been rehearsed for decades; often, we’re caught off guard, blindsided by the swiftness of change that was never expected or invited. We can be like shooting stars—tiny specs of dust glowing […]
The pear tree I planted almost two decades ago is heavy with fruit. Most years, I don’t thin it out as I should, and when I walked outside this morning, I noticed the tree branches weighted down, scattered cores from the deer that feast each night at her base. A peach tree planted the same […]
Part I I woke up this beautiful summer morning from a bad dream; thankfully, not a full-blown nightmare which I have too often. These sleep-state images were about being in a terrible accident and waking up paralyzed, my ability forever at the mercy of a wheelchair; my life abruptly halted. In the dream, I was […]
After another night of bad dreams, I woke up tired and disoriented. I called the new day to me, trying to shake off the dark, pulling myself together (literally curling up in a fetal position), then getting myself together emotionally. I’ve never understood the calamity my brain creates as I attempt to sleep when I […]
One beautiful morning, I turned onto a recently repaved, free of debris road without potholes typical of many thoroughfares with scorching and freezing weather. It was a peaceful drive made better by the smoothness of the street. (It’s often the little things that make us smile.) Significant issues must be remediated before laying new asphalt, creating a pothole, ruts, […]
Texas’ name is derived from “thecas,” which means friends and allies. In that state, a town named Uvalde—the “Honey Capital of the World”—is in mourning. Many of us cry with her in grief and sorrow. This place that now, and perhaps for many decades to come, will not feel safety or the sweetness of honey. […]
N.b.: The topic of this post is weighty, spurred on by the massacre in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday. I understand if this is too sensitive for you to read, and respect that your perspective may be different from mine. “Death is part of life.” Five syllables that seem elementary when part of a big-picture conversation […]
I sat at the dining room table looking out the glass doors, my tea steaming, two clementines on my plate, conscious of how often I do myriad things—much like an automaton—without consideration or awareness of my actions. Once again, the sun had just risen for us humans who often dismiss that as a given. […]
Chapter IOnce upon a time, there was a baby, not planned but wanted, loved, and nurtured. She was cared for with tenderness and affection and knew not fear, concern, or worry. She explored her world with natural curiosity and would recollect seeing a shiny doorknob as her first retained visual memory. Chapter IIExposed to people […]
peace full home®—intentional living 