There was a man who, long ago, created a life filled with unbridled joy and an awareness of the universe’s amazingness. Nevertheless, as in many stories, a shift took place; it started slowly but kept building into a flame consuming the truth until he didn’t recognize his value, his verve, or the pain that was […]
Tag Archives: Peace
People who wear makeup have been to “beauty bars.” Sometimes they’re swanky shops with perfectly coiffed artists just waiting to paint you in the colors of their choice. Other times, the beauty bar is in a chain store or pharmacy, where you stand perplexed by the hundreds of items promising to make you look “better,” or […]
I’m acutely aware of how years seem to slip through my fingers like grains of sand. Do you ever feel that way? The fragility of life, and how I spend my precious hours, is never far from my awareness. Today, in a contemplative frame of mind, I’d like to share a piece of poetry. __________ The Library ceiling […]
Early this morning, I woke up thinking about our hurting world. I try to imagine how women in Afghanistan must feel right now, but having more freedom than most will ever experience, I can’t even touch that fear. I visualize the hateful signs I pass on fellow humans’ houses screaming F**K this or that, aware […]
My brother, Bob, diagnosed with his first brain tumor at sixteen, died when he was forty. He beat insurmountable odds. In the last years of his life, he was wheelchair-bound, and his brain lived in the past. Incredibly, through all the surgeries and pain, he never once complained or uttered, “why me?” A life that blessed many […]
I sat at my desk, in the still darkness of pre-dawn, remembering the past twenty-four hours. Yesterday, I was part of “She Nailed It,” Habitat For Humanity of the Lehigh Valley’s “all women, nail-hammering, relay competition,” which raises funds for affordable housing. In 2012, when my friend, Betsy, invited me to join the HFH volunteer […]
Today, I intended to share the answers I collected from questions regarding the impact of COVID-19. However, responses are still pouring in from: “With all the hatred, violence, anger, pain, and sadness going on right now, how do you think we move forward; how do we make a difference?” This is a big picture life question—a […]
Memorial Day—a time for formally remembering the men and women who died while serving in the armed forces—began after The American Civil War to honor the over 625,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who died in that war. The sheer enormity of memorializing and burial took on immense significance. Originally called “Decoration Day,” because decorated graves […]
Do you ever feel overwhelmed, exhausted, or like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Does it sometimes seem that despite how hard you work, how often you “put yourself out there,” or how much you love, it just isn’t enough? Are you ever on the brink of hopelessness, imagining that if you […]
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 […]
For some, “New Year’s Resolutions” are an annual part of closing one calendar year and moving onto the next. Others never participate in that practice. For many of us, it’s haphazard. Some years we’re “all in”—creating a list of what we want to change or accomplish; what we resolve to do. Other years, we simply roll […]
For some people, “I’m sorry” spills out of their mouths as easily as saying, “hi”. They have a lifetime subscription to: • the “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than approval club” or • the “I can do whatever I want; then just say, ‘I’m sorry’ club” “I’m sorry” is said so often that it’s effortless. There’s […]
I Second Thoughts How many times have you said something like: “on second thought, I shouldn’t have hit ‘send’, on second thought, I’ll have the asparagus instead of the broccoli, on second thought, going to that party is not a good idea, or on second thought, I don’t want to keep trying to be her […]
CANDLELIGHT I light the candles as dusk envelopes the space. I don’t like the dark. I see things in the shadows that I don’t see in the light. I hear things that are silenced in the day. I’m afraid of the dark. Fear can freeze us in place; it can bring us to our knees […]
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 […]
Part I—Danger Through the course of evolution, our brains have moved away from cave-men/women mindsets of always being hyper-vigilant—thinking that there’s likely danger right around the corner waiting to destroy us. Some of us, however, never evolve past that—we’re still expecting the next “terrifying thing” to come barreling at us, so we’re unable to ever simply […]
Rain is pouring down as the Bride walks to the two-hundred-year-old church. Four men, wearing yellow rain jackets, carry a canopy over her (and the beautifully embellished wedding gown with an eight-foot train). Her sister—the Matron of Honor—and her parents are all squeezed under the canopy as well. Horns blow, and people wave, as well-wishers watch the […]
The wind howls up the mountain, washing over the house. The mewing of the cat bird, long before any other friends join the chorus, heralds the coming of a new day. The path lights in front of the home across the cul-de-sac create dancing circles of light on the wet pavement. The breeze blowing through […]
Erik Erikson coined the term “identity crisis”, saying that the environment in which a child is brought up is critical in the formation of personal identity and self-awareness. Makes sense, right? Obviously, the way we were raised significantly impacted who we are now. Imagine how different you might be if all the “moving parts” of […]
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 […]
The prince crouches behind a merlon on the battlement observing the carnage, silent, afraid to move forward. He peers through a crenel and watches the dragon slayer pull arrow after arrow out of her quiver as she selflessly defends the castle. Knights stand on either side of him protecting the asset: the person who—in spite […]
Sometimes, God speaks to us in the bright light of day. Sometimes, God whispers in the still night—when we’re alone or scared or unable to take one more step forward. Sometimes, it’s really tough to hear God’s voice above the clanging gongs. And, sometimes, we have to invite God into our silence. Silence Is Golden […]
Self can represent your physicality, your qualities, your psyche, your individuality, or the character of who you are. From a philosophical perspective self is the ego, the core of us, the soul or spirit that unites all of our experiences. The Creation of Self The process of “the creation of self” is what we continually […]
“Look up.” That was the message I was clearly given on a very early, October, morning as I sat at my desk writing. I did as instructed and saw that the cathedral ceiling was, literally, falling down! Fast forward to the second week in December. Over the past eight weeks, the library had to be […]
Today, I want to tell you a story about a little girl who was born in Wales, Great Britain in the 1930s. She lived with her family in a thatch-roofed cottage on a rocky shoreline, where they had a very simple life—moving through each day the same as the one before. There were seven children and […]
peace full home®—intentional living 