Caring For Yourself

Fresh Summer Food In The City

July 8th, 2011
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FRESHFARM Markets Photo

One of my favorite things about summer is the food.  Summer food is the BEST!!!  The tomatoes, the corn on the cob, melons, peaches and berries.  I could go on and on.  Everything is so fresh and so flavorful!

One of the places where I find a great fresh supply of summer food is at a Farmer’s Market near my office which is about two blocks from the White House.  We call it Michelle Obama’s Farmer’s Market because the first year the Obamas were in the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama, as part of her nutrition … Read More

Feeling Like A Firework

July 2nd, 2011
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  This July 4th holiday weekend may be your first holiday without a loved one.  It may be full of poignant memories, making it difficult to participate and enjoy the fireworks, parades and backyard cook-outs. I recently found some helpful suggestions on healing from Capital Hospice’s Survivor’s Guide and thought I would share the following in case you are having a difficult time: — It is okay to feel lousy.  Some days will be worse than others.  There is no logical progression to these feelings and that is okay. –Cry if you need to. –In dealing with guilt associated with… Read More

Julie Potter — Sibley Hospital Angel

July 1st, 2011
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I write today about a special woman named Julie Potter who played a pivotal role in putting me and many others on the path to resilience. Today is Julie’s last day at Sibley Hospital and I know that she will be missed quite a lot; especially by me!!!!!  True to her nature, Julie always downplays her valuable contributions and the vast resources she has set up at Sibley to help others. Besides her primary responsibilities at Sibley’s Senior Services department, Julie also oversees the Widowed Persons Outreach (WPO) bereavement group.  For 21 years, Julie has reached out to help people… Read More

Going To The Source

June 24th, 2011
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There’s a lot to be said for following an “information is power” philosophy when dealing with a life crisis. When you are grieving the loss of a loved one or facing a serious tragedy that life has thrown you, it feels as though you are playing 52 pick-up.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with this child’s game, it’s when someone takes a deck of cards and tosses all of them in the air.  The cards come flying down, willy nilly, landing wherever they want.  The player then has to put the cards back in order, similiar to what… Read More

Change, Changed & Changing

May 28th, 2011
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Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. — Author James Baldwin Isn’t it tiresome being a one-person team?  Don’t you wish that sometimes you could delegate all of your errands and responsibilities to someone else?  Please, please don’t make me……. I would love to be irresponsible; not permanently, but just for a short amount of time.  I would love to take a break from the constant decision making and problem solving; to get in the car and drive somewhere and escape for a bit. Please join me if you feel,… Read More

Discovering Kris Carr

May 22nd, 2011
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A relative who is also a close friend was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and while visiting her she introduced me to the awesome books written by The New York Times best-selling author Kris Carr. I don’t know how I missed her but I am now totally taken with her philosophy of assessing your personal priorities in order to successfully battle cancer and become a “wellness warrior.” Carr’s blueprint for self-examination helps you to take stock of how much you actually exercise (not enough), what you actually eat (room for improvement) and what you should eat (more veggies) to how… Read More

There Is A Season (Turn, Turn,Turn)

May 13th, 2011
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“Turn! Turn! Turn!,” a classic pop song performed by the Byrds in the 1960’s, has been playing in my mind recently.  The music was written by Pete Seeger and the lyrics were adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes. To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn) There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn) And a time to every purpose, under Heaven Maybe it’s the change in seasons dovetailing with graduations, weddings, engagements and milestone birthdays, but it feels for me as though the times, they are a changin’. A time to be born, a time to die, A time to plant, a time… Read More

Home Sweet Home — Options For Housing Alternatives

April 23rd, 2011
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For some reason, people think that becoming a widow and moving to a new place to live go hand-in-hand.  I’m not quite sure why this is, but it’s one of the most common questions asked of a newly widowed person.  In fact, someone once joked that maybe real estate agents and funeral directors network off the same list of people. I guess the questions, “When are you moving?” or “When are you selling your house?” are asked so often because people may be nervous about what to say around you so they end up blurting out questions like these.  Or… Read More

Finding Your New Voice

April 17th, 2011
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I’m probably one of the last people to see the Academy-award winning movie, “The King’s Speech,” before it goes to DVD, so please bear with me while I applaud this special film and what I learned from it. This incredible movie tells the true life story of England’s King George VI and his unexpected ascension to the throne; all the while desperately working to overcome a painful and frustrating stutter.  The story works on so many levels it is hard to know where to begin but I think the story itself is so human and would still be powerful even… Read More