Cry Laugh Heal

Parking My Heart

December 18th, 2015
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christmas-bicycles

Hey there Resilient Readers!

Today’s post may seem at first to be just a simple story about a bike shop in my hometown of Washington, DC.

But it’s really about so much more.

I want to share this wonderful story with you because it reminds me of the compelling message found in the classic Frank Capra Christmas movie, It’s A Wonderful Life: one person really can make a difference.

Today’s bike story is a real life example of what happens when one person gets involved in their community and the difference they can make for others who are looking … Read More

Songbird – Eva Cassidy

December 14th, 2015
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Eva Cassidy Singing At Washington, D.C.’s jazz club, Blues Alley Good Morning Friends! If your weekend was as busy as mine, then I bet you are ready to go ever so gently into this Monday by listening to some healing music. Songbird is a popular song recorded and written by Christine McVie.  You may know it from Fleetwood Mac’s infamous platinum awarding winning album Rumours. This beautiful song was brought back to me when The Washington Post ran a story about her last week and then a good friend of mine posted Eva’s cover of Songbird on her Facebook page… Read More

Holiday Breathing Space

December 11th, 2015
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As the calendar pulls me closer to the holidays, I am feeling those inner twinges that happen when my time starts being crunched by competing priorities at work and home. I try to look ahead and plan to prevent this feeling of running out of time to shop, cook and decorate but this year, somehow, it snuck up on me. It started a few days ago when I thought I knew what to buy for some family members and then I found out that the person already had the thing I had in mind and then some of the other… Read More

Help! I Can’t Find The Right Card

December 7th, 2015
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This has happened to me at least a million times and I bet this has happened to you too! You find yourself in the card section of CVS or your local card store and you’ve been standing there for about 10 to 15 minutes scanning the cards, taking them out one by one, reading them and then quickly rejecting them and putting them back. Totally Dissatisfied. Nope. Nope. Nope. When that happens, here’s what I’m usually thinking: I so liked the picture or drawing on that particular card and it was so so close to what I was looking for… Read More

Holiday Temptations

December 4th, 2015
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Photo Courtesy of Katie Lee Kitchen Oh my goodness! A few days ago, I looked in the refrigerator and spied the last containers of homemade mashed potatoes and stuffing and I couldn’t take it anymore. I hate to waste food yet I had to throw the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers away!  I know I overindulged over the holiday and it was yummy and fun but it also is time for the food party to stop. But it’s really hard, right?  I know it is for me.  Maybe it’s a little easier for you.  I definitely like to think you… Read More

The Boys In The Boat — NonFiction

November 30th, 2015
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Having a holiday break is so great on many levels. I’m not on a regular schedule, I’m surrounded by homemade holiday food and I have the time to read.  Over this past Thanksgiving break, I had the extra time to finally finish an amazing and beautifully written  book that I enjoyed so much I would like to recommend it to you: The Boys In The Boat. Officially,  The Boys In The Boat is a true story about nine young working class American boys and their gritty quest to win the gold medal in rowing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.  But… Read More

The Ever Expanding Thanksgiving Table

November 23rd, 2015
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For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving in our family is about reaching out and sharing. During our childhood, my parents always reminded the six of us that we could invite anyone that we knew who might not have a place to go and might possibly be spending Thanksgiving alone. And they meant it. The Cranston Thanksgiving table always had room for more people.  For friends who couldn’t make it home to their families, for people who had no where else to go and for elderly relatives who had paid their dues in preparing Thanksgivings past and now needed… Read More

A Monday Affirmation

November 16th, 2015
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  I find myself this Monday morning saying HELLO and embracing a calming thought that I intend to use to set the tone of my day. At the beginning of a new week, and especially in light of the tragic terrorist events in Paris, I find this to be healing. Perhaps you need a small break from world news or something else happening in your personal life. Let your mind momentarily take a break: It was the   outstretched   hands, the   giving, that   mattered.         ~ Annie Proulx… Read More

Accepting Vulnerability

November 12th, 2015
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  Tommy At The Beach My heart is in a vulnerable place today for as much as I try every day to go forward and rebuild my life, the 12th of November always pulls me back to the morning of when my beloved husband Tommy died.  I have found there is really no way to prepare for this anniversary.  The ying and yang of the day can make me momentarily feel as though it just happened but then in the next moment it can make me feel that it has been more than 12 years since his tragic death. Little… Read More