When I was young, “cry uncle” was an expression I heard from time-to-time. I didn’t understand it and, thankfully, was never at the mercy of someone who taunted me to say it. Thinking about why, and when, we choose to “give up the fight”, the idiom came back to me. “Cry Uncle!” is a command issued from a […]
The irises next to the deck are coming up. They were my Mom’s. She dug them up for me the year before she died. They’re beautiful shades of purple and I planted them right next to my hot tub. About a dozen years ago, I bought the hot tub when I was renovating the house […]
Our dear friends Betsy and Sam recently moved to a beautiful area in Georgia. Larry and I just got back from visiting them for a few days. On the way to the airport, to fly home on Saturday evening, we hit a major traffic jam. By the time we got to the Atlanta airport we […]
This morning I woke up long before the sun was rising. That’s not unusual since I don’t sleep well. I lay in bed thinking about the day to come, then decide to get up. I walk into the bathroom, close the door and flip the light switch. NOTHING HAPPENED. My first thought was that, “while we were working on […]
Easter is a day when practicing Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. My faith community had an especially poignant service. Not only did three people share stories of change (types of resurrections) occurring in their lives, we celebrated a beloved couple who will be moving away. There was laughter and celebration and singing. There was reflection and […]
Yesterday morning, when I went to church, the streets were slippery. I didn’t anticipate that. There was light rainfall coming down, but the road in front of my home looked fine. I didn’t realize that the streets were covered with ice until I was out driving and my brakes were “grabbing”. I drove very slowly and […]
In 1963, Andy Williams recorded a Christmas Song that starts with “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. This IS a wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, it also seems to be a time of year when many of us end up overwhelmed, exhausted and burned out. Last week I wrote about attainable goals. […]
Tomorrow is “Veterans Day”, a holiday that honors every veteran who has served in any branch of the United States of America Armed Forces. Without people who make the sacrifices involved in “protecting and honoring” our reality would be very different. Tomorrow, November 11th, also marks thirteen years and two months since “911”. September 11, […]
You’ve probably heard the expression “you’re full of it!” When someone says “you’re full of it”, to another person, what he’s really saying is, “you’re lying”, “you’re making stuff up”, “you’re exaggerating”, or “you’re pompous”. I’ve never heard that expression mean “you’re full of great ideas”, “you’re full of inspiration”, or “you’re full of honesty or […]
New glasses help us see better. The murkiness clears up; we view what’s in front of us differently. Just like less-than-perfect vision, we often have myopic world views; limiting us from seeing outside our personal reality. We don’t always “see” how we behave, which may lead to behavior that’s inconsiderate. Nice is underrated; I genuinely […]
A few years ago, the physical foundation of my home was compromised. Work that was done incorrectly by a contractor led to the eventual sagging of the entire back of the house. The walls, deck boards, siding, and doors had to be ripped out so that it could be rebuilt from the ground up. It […]
This is a love story. It’s about my granddaughter Lauren. She’s a teenager now, but even at only eight years old, she had an innocent clarity about life. Sure she lives in an area of the world where there are a lot more “haves” than “have-nots.” Yes, she has enough food to eat, people who love her, […]
What usually seems like just yesterday (but sometimes feels like a lifetime ago), I was a young, single mother raising two beautiful daughters. We were—by the standards we in our country judge wealth—destitute. I had a meager job and was putting myself through college at night. We lived in a little cape cod. We didn’t […]
“Love people and use things, not love things, and use people.” This can’t be said enough. I’ve been working on an article for a local magazine, and my subject is “Organization and Feng Shui.” This is a topic that I could write a whole lot more about than the couple thousand words I’m limited to. […]
My Mom died in 2009. I miss her daily. We loved each other and were very close, and I’m aware that isn’t the reality in many families. She was diagnosed with colon cancer, and two weeks later, she was gone. Not gone exactly, but no longer on this earth plane. I was distraught when she […]
In our humanness, we often get caught up in the “things of this world.” That’s typical. (I use “typical” instead of “normal” as much as possible because, how the heck can we dictate what “normal” is?) Many of us have so many possessions. We work hard to acquire these things; we treasure them; we boast about them; […]
If you’re like many people I know, you may often feel as if you’re running through life. When you complete your day’s activities—whether that’s employment, caring for others, volunteerism, or spending time with family and friends—wouldn’t it be nice to walk through the door into your home (or stop doing the “work” part of your […]
peace full home®—intentional living 