Cry Laugh Heal

Pause & Remember

September 9th, 2011
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Before the mantra was jobs, jobs, jobs, it was security, security, security.

The security of our nation, the security of our borders, the security of our everyday lives was at the top of the nation’s agenda.  No one could do enough to make America safe and secure.  And we were willing to do whatever it took to make it happen: reduced civil liberties, metal detectors and wands, pat downs, no shoes.A decade later, 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden is finally dead as are some of his top operatives.

But how safe are we?

When the 10th anniversary of 9/11 arrives … Read More

Be Careful Out There

September 7th, 2011
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A good friend of mine recently introduced me to Gospel Star Marvin Sapp and his daily spiritual insights called “Marvin’s Motivational Moment.”  Family, jobs, personal interests and personal predicaments.  The combination of all these factors leads to us living in a rushed and complex world that can easily be stressful and overwhelming.  That gives us all the more reason to stake out personal time to evaluate what’s happening and regroup; to take stock of what’s happening to us, and I mean REALLY happening to us, instead of making our usual schedules of endless commitments and appointments as our top priority.… Read More

Sandy Gingras

September 5th, 2011
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This quote from author/artist Sandy Gingras          makes me happy ……….. “At the beach, life is different.  A day moves not from hour to hour but leaps from mood to moment.   We go with the currents, plan around the tides, follow the sun.” I hope it makes you happy too because it’s sooooo true!… Read More

Reluctantly Falling Into Fall

September 2nd, 2011
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Early this morning I opened the front door to get the newspaper and felt a chill in the air that can mean only one thing:  the seasons are starting to change and I don’t like it. Summer is my very, very favorite season of the year.  It is totally the best! I know, I know, I hear lots of you out there saying something garbled about the heat and humidity in DC, but I don’t care.  Summer is light clothing, fresh fruits and vegetables and long days.  Summer is bare feet, freshly cut grass and beach time.  My thinking about… Read More

School Days — Reminding Teachers About Loss

August 31st, 2011
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School days are here again and the usual anxieties are filling children’s heads: a new year of learning, a new teacher, new friends or a new school.  Along with thoughts about wearing the right clothes, hanging out with the cool crowd, comes an additional layer of concerns for those children who are still dealing with a death in the family or perhaps one that may have occurred during the summer. This school year also brings the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and reminders of this event are all around us: television specials, national ceremonies and the opening of… Read More

Gratitude

August 26th, 2011
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In her best-selling book Simple Abundance, author Sarah Ban Breathnach recommends spending a few minutes each morning and evening listing five things for which you are grateful. Once a day is good enough for me but at the end of a particularly great or horrendous day you might want to think again about some of the unexpected things that happened to you. Focusing on the positive aspects of life is what’s it’s all about.  After a week that started with me taking my son back to college for his senior year in New York City, then an unprecedented 5.8 earthquake… Read More

Unbroken By Laura Hillenbrand

August 19th, 2011
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Resilience is having the capacity to bounce back from change, failure or trauma.  Some people are lucky enough to be born with tons of relience and others of us constantly work on it. If you are looking for insight into the boundaries of resilience, then please read, “Unbroken,” by Laura Hillenbrand.  You may remember Laura Hillenbrand for the exceptional research and writing she gave us in her first book, “Seabiscuit.”  Hillenbrand’s new book, “Unbroken,” is the compelling story of Louis Zamperini, a talented and ferociously competitive runner who participated in the Berlin Olympics and is a World War II hero. … Read More

One Hilarious Beach Memory

August 13th, 2011
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Photo By Emily Noonan My son and I vacation at Bethany Beach, the same beach we have been enjoying since he was a toddler.  It’s also the same beach where I vacationed as a child.  This conjures up all sorts of memories for both of us and it gives my son a sense of stability.  We can’t imagine going anywhere else. The first time we vacationed in Bethany after my husband’s death, it was jarring, but we stayed positive and survived.  I had some meltdowns but they were in private.  More importantly, keeping up the vacation tradition gave us confidence… Read More