A few years ago, as I sat writing at my desk before the sun rose, I inaudibly heard “look up” and saw that sections of the library’s cathedral ceiling were, falling! My first step was emptying the room. Art, photos, gifts, precious mementos from my daughters and grandchildren, and hundreds of books (yep, I counted […]
Tag Archives: food for thought
World Awareness:Children in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya are starving to death while many in our country throw food away. Often, we avoid the images of emaciated humans turning instead to gaze at our beautiful homes with televisions, beds to sleep on, and cabinets and refrigerators overflowing with food, as others watch their children die, helpless […]
Yesterday morning, birds patiently took turns at the feeder. Signs of Spring sprouted up through the snow-covered ground, reaching for the sun. I experienced feeling “happy” as I watched them. Unlike dessert or a perfectly aged cabernet, happiness is life-giving water needed for optimal survival. But, for many, bliss seems unattainable. Perhaps you think, “How dare I […]
It’s widely held that Valentine’s Day honors a priest named Saint Valentine of Terni, who lived in third-century Rome. In one of the research articles I read, Valentine was killed for performing weddings for soldiers forbidden to marry while in service. Another story relates that the imprisoned Saint Valentine sent a letter to a young […]
I often say, “I forgot to remember.” Years ago, remembering wasn’t a problem, but with damage to one minuscule nerve, being able to simultaneously process all the things I want simply isn’t as easy as it used to be. So, instead of saying, “I forgot,” I say, “I forgot to remember.” It’s kinder and gentler. […]
Pain is real. I don’t know even one adult who has not experienced some heartache during this lifetime. Yet, hope continues to loom—even in the dark, even when we don’t acknowledge it—perhaps especially when we don’t acknowledge it. It’s sometimes easier to assign negativity and sorrow to our lives than it is to embrace each diamond […]
Tears—big, fat tears, the kind that makes some men uncomfortable, and many women sigh—rolled down his cheeks. He laid on a hospital bed, his life nearing the end, spending precious moments with the daughter who sat next to him—this daughter who wasn’t his and was always his. He was only in his sixties. He talked about his beloved wife. […]
There are more than 6,000 spoken languages on our planet! And, it’s estimated that there are over 300 languages used for communication in The United States of America alone! But today, I want to talk about we communicate with each other, not the astonishing number of dialects used. Sometimes, we forget how to calmly express […]
Your home should calm, restful, and re-energizing. If you’re fortunate enough to own a house with a garage, it’s ideal to use it for its intended purpose and the perfect place to begin creating a Zen home. “Garage”—French from the root word “garer”—means to cover or shelter. Automobiles, when invented, were costly, highly coveted, and […]
March coming “in like a lion and going out like a lamb“ ❶ is an unambiguous proverb. The weather’s unpredictability is typical; it can be 10˚and snowing one day and 50˚ three days later. We vacillate between standing in the sun’s warmth and shoveling snow! These two animals seem very different: ferocious vs. gentle, intimidating vs. docile. But, Jesus […]
“Truth or Dare” is something I’ve never played, having heard too many stories of young (and not-so-young) people divulging personal information or performing dangerous, humiliating, or out of their comfort zone “dares.” (What we sometimes do to others, or allow them to make us do, is heartbreaking.) Unlike the game “truth or dare,” I’m talking about truth and dare. […]
This idea started with a simple concept: “Love songs aren’t just for others. Love songs are for you too.” But, as I thought about the number of people who don’t truly experience love or struggle with trusting love, I realized that, for many, it’s often really tough just to get to the place of self-love. Sadly, some […]
Often, true happiness is borne out of understanding what unhappy is. When young, you, likely, didn’t have a myriad of choices, but, as you “came of age,” you may have been able to turn the lens, culling joy from relationships, choosing where to share your heart, knowing when to run from pain, creating (at least to some […]
There’ve been decades when I moved through life at warp speed, by necessity. Now, cognizant of the fleeting nature of time, “where am I rushing to?” is a question I often ask myself. Although COVID-19 has changed realities significantly for many of us, dashing through life still seems like an embedded part of our culture. […]
When “the grass seems greener on the other side,” you look over the “fence”—literally or proverbially—and see your neighbor’s “lawn” as healthier than yours. But, just like us worn-down mortals with eroded and less-than-perfect parts of us, you’re often not close enough to recognize the crabgrass, brown patches, or bare places. As humans, we often have a bias […]
Bridges Series:Part 1: Bridges & Life 6/17/20Part 2: Bridges & Life, Crossing Troubled Water 6/19/20Part 3: Bridges & LIfe, Crossing Bridges Instead of Building Walls 6/23/20Part 4: Bridges & LIfe, Knowing what to take on the Journey 6/23/20 A friend was getting her large home ready to sell after her husband’s sudden death. As we purged, sorted, and […]
These past few months have been, unarguably, incredibly challenging times. Last week, I wrote about racism and its painful impact on our world. This is a critical conversation that needs to be ongoing. During the past few weeks, I also asked friends and readers:Has there been anything “positive” that you’ve experienced as a result of […]
Pre, COVID-19, I parked next to a car with this bumper sticker: “A Closed Mind is a wonderful thing to lose.” When I went back, two women were in the car, so I knocked on the driver’s window and shared how much I love that message, which led to a short conversation about life. Closed-mindedness, unreceptive to […]
FEAR Discussions about COVID-19 have become part of our daily conversations. I’m not suggesting that we hide from the updates, but we need an awareness of how being bombarded by this news, on every media platform, is affecting us. Fear has become one of our songs, and there’s a good reason for that. Some of […]
CHOICES peace, peace, precious peace pain, pain, poignant pain hope, hope, honored hope hate, hate, horrid hate love, love, lasting love loss, loss, lonely loss faith, faith, fervent faith fear, fear, fractious fear peace, hope, love, faith pain, hate, loss, fear all of these are part of life which of these […]
Creating a space that you can’t wait to get home to—one that’s peace-full—is a big part of living intentionally. It’s a way to honor your life FOOD You’ve probably heard the expression, “the kitchen is the heart of the home.” That’s because it’s natural for us to gather around food. There’s a common bond when we […]
A teenager doesn’t make the football team. He starts swearing about how wrong and stupid the coaches are. A teenager doesn’t have anyone to sit with at lunch. He remembers how his father always told him he was “unlovable”. A couple sits with a large group, in a restaurant, to celebrate a friend’s birthday. They […]
• Do you ever feel like you’re firmly on solid ground— life is completely stable; everything’s under control; you’re easily putting one foot in front of the other? • Do you ever feel like you’re walking on an uneven path—sometimes you’re on stable ground, but other times you could make just one tiny misstep and fall? • […]
COMPLETE Experiences that shaped who you are get blurred with the passing of time as memories become woven into a tapestry stitched together by the moments of your yesterdays. More and more is written into the tome of your life: the magnificent and the mundane the extraordinary and the excruciating; reality and dreams merge—both parts […]
Awareness greets me each morning. She asks, “what will you do with today?” Almost always, I answer boldly, listing what I’d like to accomplish; knowing how I desire to make a difference in the next 24 hours. But, every once in a while, I whisper, “I have no idea”. My tank is already close to empty […]
peace full home®—intentional living 