Living Your Life

Talking on All Souls Day

November 2nd, 2013
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Just because someone isn’t with you doesn’t mean you can’t talk to them…….right?

People have imaginary conversations all the time.  In the shower.  While shaving or putting on your make-up.  In the kitchen.  Taking a walk.  Jogging.

It’s not weird.  At least, I don’t think it’s weird.  I think of it as collecting or organizing your thoughts to make sure you explain yourself exactly the way you want.  Or sometimes it’s venting your emotions to the only person who might really get what you’re feeling.

So what if the person is no longer here on Earth?

It doesn’t matter to … Read More

Compassionate Action

October 30th, 2013
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Courtesy of Dave Allen Photography Thought For The Day “Tuning in to the needs and feelings of another person is a prerequisite to empathy which in turn can lead to understanding, concern and, if the circumstances are right, compassionate action,” according to Daniel Goleman, an author, psychologist and science journalist. I read this quote recently in a story about empathy in The New York Times and it caught my attention. Compassionate action. It reminds me of the Jesuit concept of social justice, which is acting on something you may see or feel that is happening to another person and then… Read More

A Healing Patch of Green In Richmond

October 28th, 2013
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I took a road trip to Richmond, Virginia this past Saturday to visit my son and his girlfriend and we spent part of the day leisurely strolling the grounds of a breathtaking place called Maymont. I knew nothing about Maymont but was happy to go along and discover more about this estate and 100 acre park given to the city of Richmond in 1925 by James Henry and Sallie May Dooley.  As we walked through the nature center and then went out its back doors, rolling hills of green and rows of small rose bushes and manicured gardens greeted us. … Read More

The Pink Month

October 25th, 2013
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When I see pink products for sale during the month of October, I wonder how much of the money really goes to researching a cure for breast cancer.  Probably not very much. I know I’m not alone in this thought because I’ve heard and read similar comments from others discussing the reason why these products are being sold.  Buy them because you like them or need them.  But I think most people now see those oh so pretty pink-ribboned products as a merchandising trick better left alone. If anything good has come out of the marketing of these pink products,… Read More

Strangers Become Friends

October 23rd, 2013
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When walking down the street, with a destination in mind, lost in my thoughts about work or something happening in my personal life, I admit that I am not always aware of the people around me. I know that physically there are groups of people or singular people walking towards or past me, but the details of what they are wearing or what they look like are an instantaneous blur. It’s not because I am walking and texting.  If I hear the ping of a text received on my phone and I need to answer it, I move out of… Read More

Kindness In a Me, Me, Me Culture

October 21st, 2013
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No matter what our age or place in life, we always remember the people who are kind. For instance, during the homily of a friend’s funeral, I found myself sitting by myself because I had a arrived a little late and my friends were in another part of the church.  As I listened to the beautiful words of the priest’s eulogy, I put my head down as tears began to roll down my face.  I will never forget the simple gesture of the woman sitting next to me who gently put her hand on top of mine for a few… Read More

Love On A Two Way Street

October 15th, 2013
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I went to Trader Joe’s after work the other evening to pick up some up their fabulous pita chips and instead gained some insight into a different part of life in DC: being a homeless vendor. Near the entrance of the store stood a man, who introduced himself to me as David.  He was selling newspapers called Street Sense which I have previously written about.   This vendor was middle-aged and friendly but not in an aggressive way.  He was just talking to people and smiling, letting them know that his newspaper was for sale and that he was a writer.… Read More

Malala’s Light

October 14th, 2013
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When the news first broke a year ago that 14-year old Malala Yousafzai had been shot in the head by the Taliban while sitting in a school bus all I could imagine was the extreme fear and chaos of that terrifying moment.   How could someone be so afraid of a child on her way to school? Just by going to school, Malala defied the Taliban and its oppressive measures directed towards women by supporting education for girls in her small village in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.  That simple act made her a target.  Given the extreme nature of her injuries… Read More

The Light Between Oceans — Fantastic Fiction

October 11th, 2013
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You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend ~ Paul Sweeney The above quote captures the way the way I felt when I recently finished reading, “The Light Between Oceans.” by M.L. Stedman. If you are looking for a book of fiction that will transport you to another time and place, then I would highly recommend “The Light Between Oceans” to you.  It is beautifully written and for a first novel, an amazing piece of storytelling. Essentially, it is a story of stunning loss,… Read More