Yearly Archives:: 2012

What Would Nana Do?

September 24th, 2012
Posted By:

When life hands me a difficult situation, I think about my Nana and wonder how she would have handled it.

My Nana gives me strength and inspiration because she lived a good and simple life. She and my Pop-Pop raised five children (including my mother) during the Depression on as much as $58 a week and for awhile on nothing because my grandfather lost his job.  During the time that there was no paycheck, they lived on canned goods that a relative got for free and and managed to keep their house and continue to feed and clothe their children. … Read More

First Down in the Grief Zone

September 23rd, 2012
Posted By:

Washington Redskins I recently called a woman I know whose husband died a number of months ago.  It hasn’t quite been one year yet and I wanted to check in with her and see how she was doing. She said Sundays were particularly hard especially when the weather is classically crisp and autumnal.  Her husband was a huge sports fan and the television would be on all day.  Pre-game shows, the games, switching between the games during commercials and post-game shows.  It was all about football. Depending on who was playing, her husband would yell and scream good things and… Read More

Someone To Watch Over Us

September 21st, 2012
Posted By:

Angels are here to protect and guide us.  I truly believe in their powers. Guardian angels never leave your side and are with us from birth to death.  Angels are so beloved that they have been the subject of paintings, sculpture, poems and photographs. Today I call on the angels to look over a family member who is going into the hospital this morning for a biopsy.  At times like these you feel so helpless. You watch the clock and wait and hope.  You try to control your thoughts and not let them get ahead of you.  Holding hands and… Read More

Kind Gestures

September 20th, 2012
Posted By:

Life’s Little Presents Sometimes it’s the little things in life that can make a difference. Someone holds the door for you as you enter a building. A stranger (nicely and innocently) smiles at you for no reason. A friend calls you. Someone treats you to lunch. A happy card arrives in the mail. You find a dress, purse or shoes on sale at an incredible price. ( I always love this!) Someone actually listens to you. These small wonderful surprises give you a lift and put something extra into your step.  Most of these are surprises that you can give… Read More

Working Through Emotional Pain

September 19th, 2012
Posted By:

Sunrise off the coast of Ireland At one time, I thought that if you ignored something unpleasant it would go away or solve itself on it’s own. And sometimes that actually does happen: people move away, they change jobs or people decide to transfer their children to another school. But for the big emotional stuff — grieving, divorce, abuse, illness — I find you have to face it and slowly work through the painful issues to get to the other side of it and eventually heal your inner self.  I have found that if you ignore the emotional pain from… Read More

I’m Sorry

September 18th, 2012
Posted By:

Apologizing strengthens friendships I recently received a card in the mail and I recognized the handwriting right away so I knew before I opened the envelope who the card was from. What I didn’t know was why the card was being sent to me since it wasn’t my birthday and I hadn’t won the lottery so I knew it wasn’t mailed to congratulate me on anything that had happened in my life. I opened the card and read the handwritten words and was surprised and touched!  The card was an apology for something that had happened between us many years… Read More

Not On A Pedestal

September 17th, 2012
Posted By:

I wrote a post in June about my “paper chase” through boxes of memos, computer printouts, handwritten notes and personal writings that belonged to my husband who died eight years ago.  I know.  I know.  Eight years and there are still lots of boxes sitting around waiting for my attention!  So this past weekend, I took a deep breath, decided to dig in and found the time to go through another box. You can choose to go through all of a loved one’s papers yourself or you can do what a friend of mind did when his wife died: he… Read More

The Courage To Be Yourself

September 14th, 2012
Posted By:

  Lizzie Velasquez A woman I work with came into my office yesterday afternoon and said,  “You have to go on Yahoo and read this amazing story about a woman who weighs only 60 pounds.” What???? Of course, I logged on to Yahoo and right away I saw the story about a 23-year-old woman who weighs only 60 lbs, has no body fat or muscle and must eat every 15 to 20 minutes to sustain herself.  Tragically, Lizzie Velasquez of San Antonio, TX is one of only three people in the world born with this rare medical condition. My heart… Read More

Autumn Ivy

September 13th, 2012
Posted By:

A Calming Thought For The Day. . . Autumn Ivy by Ogata Kenzan Even as it envelops me it is not mine, this autumn: that wind blowing through the pines, I regret how it makes them fall – the leaves, the scarlet leaves of ivy.… Read More