Living Your Life

Christmas Sighting Of A Loved One

December 26th, 2011
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In the hustle and bustle of eating, talking and being with my wonderful family yesterday on Christmas Day, I received a unexpected present that I think others who have lost loved ones will be able to identify with.  Maybe this has happened to you but you didn’t tell anyone else about it because you figured they would give you that look that says, “Okayyyyy. Rigghhhttttt.”

My son and I were at my parents house and all of my siblings, nieces, nephews were gathered to celebrate Christmas.  There was lots of activity — electronic and human — and everyone was enjoying … Read More

Five Hundred Twenty Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

December 23rd, 2011
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Happy Birthday Cry, Laugh Heal!  Yup.  It has actually been one whole year since Cry, Laugh Heal was launched as a blog and I really can’t believe it. How would I measure my first year of blogging? In friendship, in kindness, and in support. That’s what blogging has meant to me.  It has opened up a new world of connecting with others on an emotional level and also has given me new resources for information and that is exhilarating.   Along with my son’s help, I pushed myself to learn something new and I am so glad that I did.   … Read More

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

December 15th, 2011
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Songs can be powerful time machines.  Sometimes all it takes is hearing the first few notes or strands of a melody and YOU ARE THERE. It is amazing to me how a song has the uncanny ability to mentally fast track you to a place you haven’t thought about in years. Recently, I was driving my car home in the oh so unpleasant nightly commute of bumper to bumper traffic on Connecticut Avenue. I found myself pushing the radio buttons over and over because there were so many commercials playing and I was getting annoyed.  Yada, yada, yada. I was… Read More

Handling Those Nasty Negatives

December 12th, 2011
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Like the weather, feelings are unpredictable.  Sadness and anger come and go.  So do joy and excitement. The most sensible approach to handling such feelings is to accept them…and continue doing what you need to do. ~ David K. Reynolds, A Handbook For Constructive Living… Read More

Holiday Tips For Families

December 10th, 2011
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I say perfect timing to a story that was published in The Washington Post this week!  I thought it was soooo timely and helpful that I wanted to share with you: Michael Hershon/For The Washington Post   Holiday advice for families By Janice D’Arcy/The Washington Post Published: December 7, 2011 Celebrating the holidays with children can be magical, sometimes. Other times, it can be a season of migraine-inducing family problems. We asked a few experts to sort out some of the most vexing, such as navigating expectations, handling family drama, teaching children gratitude and figuring out how to explain Santa.… Read More

Books @ Union Station

December 9th, 2011
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I was downtown at Union Station the other day and was surprised to see that the Barnes & Noble store there is still open.  Now that Borders has closed and the Barnes & Noble store in Georgetown has been bought by Nike, I am always happy to see a book store open and bustling with customers. I find it’s such a indulgent luxury to browse in a book store.  To go from table to table and shelf to shelf, to look at the covers of the books, pick them up, read through them and just feel the weight of the… Read More

A Healing Circle of Life

December 7th, 2011
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It’s the holiday season and wreaths are everywhere.  Doors, windows, large buildings and small, I see them indoors and outdoors, even on trucks and cars.  Evergreens, berries, pinecones, and magnolia leaves, the materials that wreaths are made of today seem endless.  If they’re not chock full of tacky plastic stuff, wreaths are welcoming signs, hopeful signs and even peaceful signs. Wreaths are also a sign of faith in humanity and its circular shape represents eternity, for a wreath has no beginning and no end.   Wreaths have been with us since the ancient Greeks and Romans when wreaths were awarded to… Read More

Screening of Miss Representation

December 2nd, 2011
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I’m writing about something a little different today but I found the event to be so interesting I wanted to share it with you. Last night I attended a screening of Miss Representation, a new documentary film written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, filmmaker, actress and wife of California’s Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom.  The title of this groundbreaking film is a play on the words used in beauty pageants and also a revealing interpretation of the messages mainstream media uses to market women. According to Miss Representation, which premiered at the October 2011 Sundance Film Festival, aired on OWN … Read More