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 […]
Tag Archives: Grace
I started a post then scrapped it—too serious (life feels serious enough right now). I started another one, but it felt too “minimal”—not strong enough for the times we’re living in. So, I decided that this would be a good day to post pieces from Poetry and Other Random Thoughts. All of these poems have […]
I love this story from my grandson’s first year of grade school: Ethan had an excellent teacher, and at the beginning of the school year, she asked if any of the children spoke a second language. A few children raised their hands. When she got to Ethan, he said, “I speak Duck➀.” She heard that […]
Where do you find joy? Why does joy often seem so elusive? What is joy? “Joy” and “happy” are not the same. Happiness is a response to something you experience—watching a funny movie, playing with a grandchild, taking a great vacation or completing something successfully (a class, an athletic endeavor, an interview, even an organizing […]
DESOLATION she tries to ignore it, but the desolation demands attention. it won’t let her wander outside its constrictive boundaries; to simply be. it taunts her, saying, “you’ve failed in so many ways”, “do you know how often you’ve screwed up?”, “listen to me tell you about your weaknesses, your shortcomings, your pain”, “let me […]
Like every year, the week before Christmas was a whirlwind of activity. Before the 25th, there were presents to still be wrapped (not part of my typical reality since I like having things done ahead of time), groceries to be bought, a table for sixteen to be set, music selections to be chosen (yep, just a […]
It was 3:47 am when I opened my eyes. I didn’t know the time at first; I just knew it had to be early because it was still dark. There was no sound except for the whir, whir, whir of the ceiling fan. I lay there for a few minutes, then got up to look […]
One morning, I woke up long before the sun was rising. I walked into the bathroom, closed the door and flipped the light switch. Nothing happened. Then I realized there were no lights anywhere. The programmed lights outside weren’t on. The little light on the electric toothbrush wasn’t flashing. Hmmmm….no instant gratification light going on here this morning. […]
What beliefs, which you hold in your core, seek expression? Are you willing to give voice to them? It’s okay if that voice starts as a barely audible whisper….really it is. When you make a decision to connect with yourself on a soul level, you are making this BIG statement: “I do matter— even if […]
A while ago, I was at a seminar with a group of women I didn’t know. One of them immigrated to The United States several years earlier. She said that her “English isn’t good enough“, and that she feels “defeated and less than”. She wasn’t finding other women who wanted to build a relationship with […]
You might remember the “Joy & Grace” rock. It was a gift from my husband, Larry. He gave it to me because I’ve often said that my goal is to “walk through life with joy and grace”. Joy seems pretty easy to understand, but what is grace? I’m sure that, depending on who you ask, you’d […]
peace full home®—intentional living 