Niall Coti-Sears’ Bravery

July 2nd, 2012
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niall

Niall Coti-Sears Courtesy of Fox 5 News

As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July by setting off fireworks, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers and mixing the traditional summer potato salad, let us pause and quietly remember the bravery of one young man who heroically fought overseas for his country, making it possible for us to celebrate this patriotic holiday.
One young man by the name of Niall Coti-Sears.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Sadly, in pursuit of protecting those ideals, Lance Cpl. Niall Coti-Sears, 23, was killed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, two weeks ago while conducting … Read More

Birthday Dude

June 25th, 2012
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Today I would like to give a big birthday shout-out to my son who is turning 22 years old!  I am so thankful that you are in my world because you inspire me!!! Your journey has not been an easy one and I think you’ve already learned many of life’s valuable lessons:  you are truly loved very much by me and many others, be true to yourself and listen to your inner voice, take the high road when you can, but if it’s time to get down and dirty then bring it on and face it.  Losing your father at… Read More

A Hotel Room of Her Own — Every Day for 10 Years

June 22nd, 2012
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Joy Brinker I think most of us can identify with unexpectedly finding ourselves in a situation when we thought it would be temporary, but then, time passes and it evolves into something else we never thought it would, and then it becomes permanent. When I first read the headline on this story, I thought: “How could someone live in a hotel for 10 years?”  But then I read the story and I got it. We say that everyone grieves differently and that we should respect the different ways people deal with their grief, but when we actually see someone who… Read More

Summer’s Journey

June 19th, 2012
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Usually by this time of the year, I have committed to the dates for taking a vacation with my son.  But this year is different. Now that my son has graduated from college and started his new paying job (love to be able to say paying job), we both are pretty sure that the rest of the summer will be different from other summers.  Since he isn’t living at home and his job requires him to work on Saturdays, it’s a pretty good bet that our usual August vacation isn’t going to happen. But we are trying hard to make… Read More

Daddy’s Office Time

June 18th, 2012
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From a child’s point of view, the place where their parents work can be a place they dislike because it pulls their parent away from them.  Parents spend a lot of time at work and children may feel that they are competing with what goes on in the office.  “If you didn’t have to work, you could be with me,” is sometimes what a child may think. But what if your memories of your parent and their relationship with their work and their office is positive and you can’t imagine your parent doing anything else but being in their office? … Read More

Happy Father’s Day!

June 17th, 2012
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Yesterday my Dad and I celebrated Father’s Day a little early. My gift to him:  Time I could have gone to the store and bought him another shirt or another book or another CD.  Or I could have thought ahead and tried to make a present for him which I used to do a lot when I was a child.  One year I wrote a poem to him and cut out pictures of fathers and daughters from a magazine and glued the pictures all around the poem and then bought a frame from the drugstore. But this year I decided… Read More

I’m Listening

June 13th, 2012
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I have found that when you are talking to children of any age about almost any subject, you should be prepared to hear things that can be so truthful, so honest that it can take your breath away.  Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.  I think it’s wonderful but you have to prepared yourself for the possibility that the unpolished truth could pop out at any moment. That’s the beauty and wonder of children: there usually is no filter on their wise thoughts. In my many talks with my son about his father’s death, I tried to keep… Read More

My Wedding Rings

June 12th, 2012
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The summer months bring many celebrations, including weddings and graduations, and this summer I have attended two weddings and one graduation. They were lots of fun and it was a wonderful opportunity to pause and focus on the important life changes starting for these loved ones.  At each of these joyous events, the participants were being celebrated to mark the beginning of their new futures either as a wedded couple or a person seeking to launch a successful career. But today’s post is about weddings.  Not the dress or the cake but instead I’m thinking about the rings and the… Read More

The Anti-Cancer Zone

June 6th, 2012
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To my family members and friends who are waging the battle of their lives!  You cancer warriors will understand this list of things that cancer cannot do sooooooo much better than we who always support you yet we are not cancer patients.  I say thanks to www.thesilverpen.com for putting together this list of positive affirmations!! While your battle with cancer may sometimes be lonely, we love you very much and want to help you in your courageous fight to go into remission:… Read More