A Sick Day

December 30th, 2014
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If you live in my area of the world sometimes known as the #DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia), I sincerely hope you have not caught any of the strains of yucky flu quickly making themselves felt as they spread their awful symptoms through young and old.

I had a flu shot this year but as my doctor told me yesterday this year’s flu shot unfortunately did not “cover” or protect me from the different strains of flu now floating around in search of perfectly healthy people it can attack and inhabit.  The first symptoms hit me like a wall … Read More

A Lovely Diamond Heart

December 10th, 2014
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And then there are acts of love that people randomly do that are often so selfless as to take your breath away. Upon reading the healing and tender story from Associated Press I am sharing below, I think it definitely fits into the category of giving when it hurts. The giving part of the story involves wedding rings.  I say to you, Lovely Boston Widow, I can’t imagine giving away my wedding rings in that manner, but at the same time, I say more power and blessings to you Lovely Boston Widow for doing it. High five!! Nothing so publicly… Read More

She’s Come Undone — Fantastic Fiction

November 17th, 2014
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I am always on the lookout for books about how people deal with adversity and in “She’s Come Undone,” the incredible writer Wally Lamb introduces readers to a resilient and unforgettable character by the name of Dolores Price. This is one of those books that I have heard friends enthusiastically talk about for a long time and I have always intended to read it.  Well, I finally took the time to read it for myself and “She’s Come Undone” is truly a great read! This is a story of love and hope and the importance of friendship in dealing with… Read More

A New Project on Amazon

November 12th, 2014
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Hey there Resilient Readers: This morning I am very excited to share news with you about a project which started last year and is now completed!! It’s a new ebook about grief and I am included (Cry Laugh Heal is Chapter 21; don’t worry the chapters are short!) along with other bloggers and writers whose work I consider to be truly fantastic!  I am beyond flattered to be included in this wonderful project that we hope will help others in their grief. The book is titled “From Grief To Greatness” and it was written and organized by a great guy… Read More

Back To The Garden

November 7th, 2014
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My son and I recently spent a Sunday afternoon meandering around the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia and it reminded me once again of the importance of taking time to immerse yourself in the calming and healing beauty of nature. I was not particularly stressed out when we entered the spectacular gardens but after walking around among the themed gardens and gentle water fountains for about ten minutes, I found myself slowing down and suddenly stopping on the path to take a deep breath and truly look and listen to where I was at that moment.  We sat… Read More

The Infectious Laughter of Tom Magliozzi

November 5th, 2014
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Everybody needs a good laugh and I know I could always get one every Saturday morning when I turned my radio on to NPR’s award-winning program, “Car Talk.” You might think it’s unusual for a woman to be listening to a program where two guys talk for about an hour about cars and their problems.  But for me, “Car Talk” was pure entertainment.  Oh my goodness, did they know how to have a good time! Tom and Ray understood the power of humor, that the ability to laugh at life and yourself is a tremendous resource for binding people together… Read More

Danny Meyer: One of the Good Guys

October 29th, 2014
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Danny Meyer Photo Courtesy BravoTV I have never met Danny Meyer but I have eaten at two of his infamous restaurants in Manhattan: Shack Shack, which now has a location in Washington, D.C., and serves great juicy burgers and tasty crinkle french fries and Blue Smoke which offers fantastic Southern food, especially barbecue. Danny Meyer is the author of an insightful book, “Setting The Table” and owner and founder of 10 outstanding restaurants in New York City.  Business is so good at his restaurants that most of them remain open today since the first day he opened them for business.  … Read More

A Poem Of Comfort

October 27th, 2014
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Today I send heartfelt prayers to a wonderful woman and mother of three children who has been a close friend of my family’s for decades and is tragically in the process of saying good-bye to her beloved husband currently being taken care of in an ICU unit of a local hospital. I know that words cannot take away her deep pain but I send them in hopes that they may bring some small measure of comfort.  Perhaps there is someone in your life who is also bearing a burden of sorrow and is in need of words that lets them… Read More

Five Lessons From the Marvelous Mindy Kaling

October 24th, 2014
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Dear Resilient Readers, I write a lot about the need to rebuild or recreate our lives after experiencing a loss or traumatic life event because it can be frightening and something people would rather not discuss.  In hopes of helping others, I have written about what worked for me but I also try to pass along helpful anecdotes from people who have worked hard to put themselves on that same healing path. I know for myself that the secret to finding a new way to live my life after my husband died was in taking each day, and sometimes each… Read More