When In Doubt

January 20th, 2014
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If you have ever have doubts about talking to someone you hardly know about a recent loss in their life, please think twice about ignoring the subject.
You may think you are doing the person a favor by not mentioning their loss or the name of the loved one that died, but it doesn’t really work that way.
Acknowledging is important and helpful to you, and more importantly, to the person experiencing the loss.  It’s extending sympathy or compassion and even though it may be hard to do, it’s something that needs to be done.  So take a deep breath, … Read More

A New Place To Live

August 26th, 2013
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Good Morning Fantastic Readers!This past weekend was interesting and productive and I hope yours was too!  The weekends just fly by wayyyyy too quickly don’t they? Part of my weekend was spent visiting a family member.  In the course of my visit, I could tell we were going to fall into our usual conversational trap of going over the same ground that we have covered many times before.  You know what I mean, right?  The person brings up a certain subject and you know what they’re going to say and you try to change their mind or at least get… Read More

Unplugging & Tuning In To Each Other

April 3rd, 2013
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Today we have a guest blogger, a fellow writer, Melissa Knights Bertrand.  In the interest of full disclosure, I work with Melissa’s brother, Aaron Knights, and through being Facebook friends with Aaron, I am familiar with Melissa’s writing for her local newspaper, The Buffalo News. Melissa is the mother of three young and dynamic children and she has a beautiful writing style.  I have no idea where she finds the time to reflect and write about the unique things that happen to her and her children, but she does, and we are happy readers because of it. Two stories she… Read More

The Heart Behind Gilligan’s Island

July 20th, 2011
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The cast of Gilligan’s Island A good and very funny friend of mine, Annie Howell, loves, loves everything about Gilligan’s Island. She and her husband, Brad, and their two boys even named their dog, Thurston, after the lock jawed, elitist character marooned on the island, Thurston Howell III.  I think everyone who watched the show identified with at least one of the characters — the Professor, Marianne, Gilligan, the Skipper or The Movie Star — who every week would comically try to escape from Gilligan’s Island.  I liked to think I was Ginger, the Movie Star. When the sad news… Read More