Yearly Archives:: 2012

10 Things To Make You Happier @ Home

July 20th, 2012
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Courtesy of Coastal Living

Do you make your bed every day?

Don’t worry.  I don’t either.  I know this sounds like a silly question but apparently if you do make your bed every day you are off and running to a better, more organized, happier day.

I probably should smooth out the sheets and blanket and actually make my bed but I really don’t think it’s that important.  My mother is a fanatic about making my parents bed every day and one day in what I thought was a casual conversation (rookie mistake!) I dropped the bomb that I don’t … Read More

Work Can Be Rewarding

July 19th, 2012
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Work itself is the reward.  If I choose challenging work it will pay me back with interest.  At least I’ll be interested even if nobody else is.  And this attempt for excellence is what sustains the most well lived and satisfying, successful lives.    ~ Meryl Streep I am a big believer in working hard.  I grew up in a large family and ever since I can remember I have had chores and responsibilities around the house.  I got my first paying job when I was 16 years old and that’s just the way I was brought up.  A work ethic… Read More

The Secret of Life

July 18th, 2012
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I find it is important for the survival of the resilient spirits in my inner woman to make quiet time for myself.  My inner woman is all about achieving personal peace and developing emotional strength. For me, the road to personal peace is found when I seek to quiet my mind and spirit.  Usually ten to fifteen minutes every day is enough for me to gather my thoughts and to try and figure out my daily goals; or at least try and figure out what direction I think I would like for my day to take.  Sometimes my goal is… Read More

Pip — Beautiful Goodbye (Cover)

July 17th, 2012
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If you watched NBC’s The Voice this past season, then I’m sure you are familiar with the amazing singing talents of Pip. Pip, short for Phillip, was a finalist on NBC’s hit series, The Voice, and Adam Levine, lead vocalist for the Grammy-award winning pop rock band, Maroon 5, was Pip’s coach during the prime time competition program. Pip is a native of Marietta, Georgia and he is my cousin’s son.  Our family loved watching him break out and perform on national TV and voted for Pip on every episode.  We wish him all the best and look forward to… Read More

A Young Boy’s Healing Message

July 16th, 2012
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Johnny Karlinchak and his neighbor, Elissa Myers Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post When I want to help myself, I do something for someone else.  So does Johnny Karlinchak. When I’m busy and totally involved in helping someone else, I forget about what is happening to me. I feel as though I am building good karma for myself and that I am part of something much bigger.  Granted, when you are in the throes of grieving, this might not be one of the first thoughts that enters your head, but in trying to feel better about your life, being selfless … Read More

Keep it Simple — John Wooden

July 13th, 2012
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I have no shame.  I look for inspiration any place I can get it.  This time I found it in a sports book. A guy in my office had this book sitting on his desk titled, “Wooden.”  Hmmm, I thought, this name sounds familiar but I couldn’t place it.  I opened the book and started reading about Coach John Wooden and his historic UCLA basketball dynasty winning 10 NCAA championships in 12 years, including 88 straight games. I sortof remember hearing my Dad talk about John Wooden and as I paged through the book I realized this is a guy … Read More

ER Awakening

July 12th, 2012
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I feel very lucky to have good health and after spending four hours in an emergency room Tuesday evening, I have renewed my commitment to doing all I can to preserve it. My Dad had an urgent eye incident and he needed immediate medical attention so we drove to one of the local hospitals here in Washington, DC and waited for a diagnosis.  You can debate the pros and cons of Obama’s health care bill until the cows come home but it all falls away when you are in an emergency room. Or maybe it’s that the harsh reality of… Read More

God Bless The Child

July 10th, 2012
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Children are not small adults who can basically raise themselves.  Children can be resilient but only to a point. Being the oldest of six children, having 35 first cousins and also being a mother has taught me that children are much smarter than we ever give them credit for, but that doesn’t mean that they understand all that is happening to them in their homes, schools or in the world at large. Their bodies, brains and emotions are still developing and they need all the love and guidance we can give them. I am a big believer in honesty when… Read More

The Electricity of Personal Power

July 9th, 2012
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One of the many trees that uprooted after Washington, DC storms Over the past several weeks, my neighborhood has lost electrical power several times for varying periods of time. Maybe you’ve read about the very sudden and very strong storms that recently have hit the Washington, DC area.  It’s been very scary and frustrating.  We are still recovering from the last storm that hit over a week ago: some people in Bethesda and Rockville, Maryland are still without power and have been without power for over a week.  Pretty unbelievable right? You should read the news stories and tweets about… Read More