Bananarama

July 12th, 2013
Posted By:

I left a couple of bananas on my kitchen counter the other day and the current heat and humidity in Washington, DC ripened them so fast that in two days they were too mushy for my cereal.  I’m not one to throw food away, so I found my trusty banana bread recipe and baked them into golden goodness!
This banana bread recipe below is from Martha Stewart’s best-selling book, Entertaining, and I highly recommend making it and having it on hand for a quick breakfast.  I once tried the recipe as muffins and they were okay but the recipe is … Read More

Monkey Bars

July 2nd, 2013
Posted By:

Yesterday I wrote about one small aspect of holding on to a deceased loved one’s material things for a long time.  It’s a rather large emotional minefield of an issue but if you ride along with me for a bit more today maybe we can make some progress together and get on with it. Let’s be real:  nobody wants to hurt and nobody wants to feel pain.  It’s in our DNA to try and protect ourselves and so we naturally want to run away from pain and suffering; even sometimes to deny its existence.  I think this is one of… Read More

KissyFace

June 21st, 2013
Posted By:

The picture posted on the Facebook page shows a CD leaning against a car dashboard with the following handwritten message written with a Sharpie:  “To KissyFace – From Your Number #1 Fan.” On a different Facebook page, a male friend enthusiastically writes about a recent Washington Nationals baseball game, what the score was and the important plays of the game.  He then ends his post by saying how much he misses his friend.  On the same page, a different friend posts a story that was in that day’s newspaper and says, “I know you would like this story.  It’s your… Read More

Blessed Easter

March 31st, 2013
Posted By:

Have A Blessed Easter  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of… Read More

Making A New Bedroom

March 18th, 2013
Posted By:

On the weekends, I like to try and organize myself.Sometimes I succeed in my de-clutter efforts and sometimes I don’t.  During the work week, I have a very bad habit of throwing clothes and papers into piles.  By the time the weekend rolls around, I know I have to deal with the piles and hang stuff up and throw things away. This past weekend marked a milestone for me because I just had my bedroom painted and most of the stuff that was under my bed,  hanging on wall and door hooks and on top of my furniture was in… Read More

Male & Female Grief Talk

February 22nd, 2013
Posted By:

As a woman, I have had many conversations with men about all different kinds of subjects.  After years of experience I can tell you that if you are not talking to men about sports, sex, food or them that after a certain amount of time, their eyes will start to glaze over and their ears will tune you out. Most women instinctively know that they like to talk a lot more than men do.  I know that I really enjoy verbally taking a situation apart and talking about it and then verbally trying to put it back together again in… Read More

In Written Sympathy

January 30th, 2013
Posted By:

Yesterday I wrote a sympathy card to a man who once lived across the street from our family when I was growing up. Sadly, his wife died last week after suffering for about a year with a degenerative illness.  He could no longer take care of his wife by himself and instead moved her to a small caring medical facility a few blocks from their house.  It was a difficult decision for the whole family and I understand that he visited her almost every day.  I haven’t seen either one of them in years but they still are important people… Read More

Magical Christmas Scenes

December 24th, 2012
Posted By:

It’s Christmas Eve!  Can you believe it? In some ways, I think Christmas Eve is more magical than Christmas Day. Maybe it’s the anticipation. . . Here are a few pictures showing the wonder of Christmas that I find comforting. I hope they bring comfort and joy to you too! Merry Christmas!! Christmas Candles Courtesy of sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net Christmas Gates Courtesy of vintagerosegarden.tumblr.com Christmas Village Courtesy of dreamingofawhitechristmas.tumblr.com Christmas Sled Courtesy of ullamaijahanninen.net Christmas Walk Courtesy of crushculdesac.tumblr.com Christmas Bucket Courtesy of robomargo.com Christmas Bow Courtesy of tumblr.com… Read More

Do Not Look Away

December 23rd, 2012
Posted By:

Courtesy of CNN.com     Hold a hand. give a hug.  Open your heart. We cannot not be afraid to offer comfort and empathy.  I know it’s difficult to step outside of yourself and reach out to others in pain. To find a way to comfort and empathize with someone in pain requires a certain amount of introspection; an ability to put the brakes on your own needs and try to put yourself in the other person’s place.  Compassion requires you to stop thinking about yourself and imagine what another person is feeling while dealing with a life crisis or… Read More