Yearly Archives:: 2013

FullSet — A Hot Irish Band

March 14th, 2013
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I just discovered the infectious and energetic sounds of an Irish band called FullSet, recently named “New Group of the Year” for 2012 by the Live Ireland Music Awards.
Just listening to their music makes me feel better!
Music definitely has healing powers and therapists have found that music’s curative powers can alleviate pain and help not only those of us recovering from a loss but also people recovering from strokes and other medical traumas.
Music unlocks differents parts of the brain depending on the music’s pitch, harmony or rhythm and provides a medium for creative expression whether your are … Read More

Top 10 Reasons To Be & (Not To Be) Pope

March 13th, 2013
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Cardinals Gather In Sistine Chapel to Vote On A New Pope Black Smoke.  White Smoke. Cardinals.  Conclave. It’s all part of the Vatican lingo surrounding the pagentry and tradition of electing a new pope to shepherd the millions of Catholics around the globe. Behind the closed doors of the infamous Sistine Chapel in Rome, Italy, 115  Roman Catholic cardinals on Tuesday started the mysterious business of coming together as a conclave to vote for a man to become pope and succeed Benedict XVI who last month became the first pope to resign in six centuries. You don’t have to be… Read More

Here Comes The Sun

March 12th, 2013
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Sunrise By the Washington Monument Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo) Here comes the sun, and I say It’s all right Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here Here comes the sun Here comes the sun, and I say It’s all right ~The Beatles How are you doing now that we are on Daylight Savings Time? Yeah!!! I’m so glad it’s here!!  Winter seemed to have so many fits and starts this year — chilly, snow then warmth, then cold again — I think we really… Read More

Be Careful Out There

March 11th, 2013
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On Saturday, I went to visit my parents who are in their eighties and my brother who has Down’s Syndrome. It was a beautiful day, full of sunshine and hints of the coming of Spring.  We had a delicious lunch at a local Irish pub and some good solid conversation and then it was time for me to “toddle on home,” as my great friend Ellen would say. I stopped at the gas station near my parent’s house because I like to take advantage of the cheaper gas prices in Rockville, Maryland.  There were no other cars in the gas… Read More

28 Cats

March 8th, 2013
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Okay.  I admit it.  I have a totally silly side: ridiculous pictures of cats and dogs crack me up. This post may seem random to you but it’s not.  It’s humor therapy!  Smiles and laughter can help us heal.  Scientists report that laughter changes our brain chemistry and boosts our immune system. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves and at humorous situations.  If we can’t find the funny side of life, then we’re in trouble. My wonderful son found this on buzzfeed.com and thought it was hysterical; which it is!!In fact, I would really love it if… Read More

Reflections of Nora Ephron’s Son

March 7th, 2013
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Nora Ephron Crying is unsettling.  Especially if you are watching one of your parents do it. My son hates it when I cry and has said that when I would cry all the time immediately after his father/my husband’s death, he would feel this mix of emotions that he didn’t want to feel and so he would walk away.  I understand it and think his reaction was perfectly normal.  He was thirteen years old and dealing with something that adults find hard to handle.  He was just trying to survive. Now, at twenty two years old, my son explains his… Read More

It’s All In Your Attitude

March 6th, 2013
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Hi Dear Friends! Yesterday I went for my annual eye exam and of course the doctor dilated my eyes.  I now have to use eye drops three to four times a day.  One is a prescription drop and the other is an over-the-counter brand.  I am just getting used to this new routine and I am finding that it’s a lot of drops to have rolling down my face.  Better get some water-proof mascara right? Needless to say, computer time has been temporarily shortened but today I still wanted to post some thoughts about healing and managing life’s wacky stresses.… Read More

The Loss of A Child

March 5th, 2013
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When I have been in support group sessions and listened as people have talked about losing a spouse, I can almost feel the unspoken emotional support developing within the group; a sense of bonding, a feeling of “having been there” in the expressed feeling or thought.  A supportive dialogue sometimes follows and I’ve heard people say after the sessions that they have felt a sense of personal progress in working through their own emotions because they heard someone else express familiar thoughts and feelings. Being around other widows and widowers can be a blessing after you have lost a spouse. … Read More

Lessons Learned

March 4th, 2013
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I try to clear my brain on the weekends and taking long walks or short runs usually does it for me.  I like to make an effort to wipe my mental slate clean of whatever happened last week and get rid of it so I don’t carry it into the next week. However, this weekend I am fighting a cold and the weather in Washington, DC was just too cold and windy to allow me to get out in the elements. Instead, I exercised indoors on my stationary bicycle and the only way to break the monotony of  being in… Read More