Living Your Life

SWF Seeks Replacement Husband

February 9th, 2012
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I found this touching and beautifully written story, SWF Seeks Replacement Husband, on Hello Grief (http://www.hellogrief.org/), one of the many blogs I follow.
As I read it, I can sense the author gathering her inner strength as she transitions from widow to a single woman on the dating scene.
It’s not easy out there and I give the author a lot of credit for her honesty.
“Online dating?” I said, trying to keep the sound of horror out of my voice. “Seems impersonal.”
“It’s kind of fun,” my colleague was saying. “You write a profile … Read More

Aloha! 2012 Philadelphia Flower Show

February 8th, 2012
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If it’s February it means people are ready for a change in the seasons.  The promise of spring is close at hand but not close enough.  It hasn’t been a terribly cold or snowy winter but the blahs have set in and it’s time to get out and see some color. If you’re experiencing cabin fever then sign up for Sibley Hospital’s day trip to The Philadelphia Flower Show, the world’s largest indoor flower show, on Wednesday, March 7.  The 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show theme is the exotic “Islands of Aloha.” Visitors will be able to enter through a… Read More

Life According to Winnie the Pooh

February 7th, 2012
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“What day is it,?” asked Pooh. “It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. “My favorite day,” said Pooh.” I have a soft spot in my heart for Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends in the Hundred-Acre Wood.  It reminds me of a more innocent time when my son was a child and he would sit in my lap or his father’s lap and we would read Winnie the Pooh aloud to him.  I’m going to date myself now, but we also had Winnie the Pooh tapes to pop in the VCR (no CD’s then) and watching Pooh and especially Tigger together… Read More

A Resilient Giants Victory

February 6th, 2012
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Ron Antonelli/New York Daily News Part of healing and jumping back into the regular routine of life is finding something to care about.  It can be anything in the whole universe and you can change it anytime you want. Yesterday, for me, it was the New York Giants and their 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots. The Super Bowl party I attended was loose and friendly in the beginning of the game but it became a little more tense in the fourth quarter as the clock ticked away and the game looked like it would be decided by one… Read More

Dogs Are Making A Difference for Veterans

February 1st, 2012
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Dogs are perceived as completely accepting of humans who treat them well and therefore dogs are incredible stress reducers for their owners and those who also spend time with them.  Don’t you just love the picture above??? Research shows that people who are facing a stressful situation or coming out of a traumatic combat event have lower heart rates, blood pressure and anxiety levels when they are with a dog. Now NBC News has aired a wonderful story about an 89-year-old U.S. veteran who has raised millions of dollars to train dogs to help the more than 40,000 service men… Read More

Sympathy Cards

January 31st, 2012
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Recently, I sat at my desk, intending to write a sympathy card to a good friend but found myself floundering.  I started writing a few phrases and then stopped. I couldn’t find the right words that I thought would offer comfort.  It was a struggle to get my thoughts on paper and it seemed as if everything I wrote sounded awkward. I started again.  I opened the card and started to write and stopped.  Maybe I was over thinking what I wanted to say, but everything I came up with sounded so trite.  Of course, I was sorry and very… Read More

Good Karma

January 27th, 2012
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Photo by Eileen Milner I am not a Buddhist but I do believe in karma. Building up good karma in the great big ‘ole universe of spirituality reminds me of what Catholics think of as corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  Karma is the universal law of cause and effect.  Most people try to do good deeds because it makes them feel they have helped someone else and also because it’s the right thing to do. When it comes to doing bad things, we all try our best to minimize the bad karma we put out there.  It sounds so… Read More

Music Heals Soldier’s Souls

January 26th, 2012
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Music is a powerful medium that touches the human soul. This link will take you to a compelling story featured in today’s Washington Post.  I’m sharing the link because the story shines a light on the healing effects of music for veterans trying to overcome their traumatic memories of war. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/military-veterans-seek-support-and-release-through-music-at-lifequest-arts-camp/2012/01/23/gIQAeRcMQQ_story.html… Read More

Kale-Full

January 25th, 2012
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If kale is so good for you then why does it taste so bad? I am trying to eat more kale this year because everywhere I look I see articles about the incredible health benefits of eating more kale.  Kale is that dark leafy green vegetable that you find in the same section of the grocery store where the lettuce is shelved.  It looks like it would taste good but it’s deceiving.  At least it is to me. According to WebMD, kale is a powerful antioxidant, kale is high in fiber, kale has zero grams of fat, kale lowers cholesterol,… Read More