Comforting My Peeps

February 5th, 2015
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“We are each other’s harvest;

We are each other’s business:

we are each other’s magnitude and bond.”

~ Gwendolyn Brooks

 Care giving is on my mind these days as my siblings and I offer additional support to our parents.

Giving care to those who are ill, to those who are babies, to those who are elderly and to those who are recuperating is one of the most selfless and loving acts a person can do for another.  Yet it can also be challenging for you, as the caregiver, are balancing so many mental and physical needs.

The obvious ones are … Read More

Hey There Sleepyhead

January 21st, 2015
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My siblings and I are caregivers and since the weekend we have stepped up our efforts to support our elderly parents. Without going into a lot of detail for privacy reasons, it was my turn to spend the night in the hospital this past Sunday night.  I have done this before but it has been a long time and I had forgotten the impact of the variety of noises that can keep you awake: the machines, the cleaning staff, the nurses, and the constant switching on and off of lights.  This is not a criticism of the hospital; they have… Read More

Permission To Feel

January 14th, 2015
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There are times when I read something that clarifies an issue for me or it helps me connect the dots of information I have spread about in my brain and when this happens I want to share it for the information might also be a great resource for you too! In this case, it is an incredibly insightful piece that I read in this past Sunday’s New York Times.  It is written by Patrick O’Malley, a psychotherapist from Fort Worth, Texas, and his opinion piece addresses why people tend to grieve the way they think others want them to grieve,… Read More

A Birthday Reveal

January 9th, 2015
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I’ve had 10 birthdays since my husband died and yesterday was the first birthday I celebrated when I didn’t think of him once during the day. I am not telling you this to sound sad or to express joy.  No way. I write of this today to say it’s confusing.  I never thought it would happen.  I’m not sure what it means, if it means anything.  I didn’t even realize it happened until the end of the day when I was getting ready to go to sleep. I still miss him dearly but I guess I am also reporting in… Read More

A New Year Unwritten

January 2nd, 2015
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A brand new fresh and clean calendar is amazing, yes? 2015 is here and as I flip through my new calendar, I’m excited to see a new year of endless possibilities, a year of new opportunities just waiting for me and you; days where we can make the first moves, put our plans into motion and make our dreams become reality. I don’t make resolutions for the New Year because I find that taking each day as it comes and trying to do my best works for me.  But that’s just me.  Maybe resolutions help keep you on track so… Read More

1 Positive Takeaway From 2014

December 31st, 2014
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Today is unbelievably my last post for 2014 and I find myself reviewing the year and wondering, “Did I do something different this year that personally broke new ground?  Something that was healthy and healing? ” Yes I did! This year I made a commitment to learn how to find quiet time time and meditate. It was awkward at first and really very hard for me to settle myself, sit still and keep all my stray thoughts at bay while trying to focus on the absence of thought.  But I kept at it and I am making progress.  And that’s… Read More

Fa-La-La-La Life

December 24th, 2014
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Today is Christmas Eve and I am full of hope but also wrestling with conflicting thoughts and emotions. I am amazed that Christmas is almost here and yet as I try to finish the last bit of my Christmas wrapping and cooking, in my head plays a spontaneous feature film of Christmas memories jumping around in no particular order: from tender scenes with my brothers and sisters when we were children listening to Johnny Mathis sing Christmas songs through a wonderful Christmas morning with my son from last year.  Then it’s back many, many years to the precious time when… Read More

Kick It Up For Christmas

December 22nd, 2014
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Hey there Resilient Readers: It’s the Monday of Christmas week and today I am going in an entirely different direction; one that is fun and healing and in tune with the holiday spirit.  It’s a post that I hope makes you smile and perhaps reminisce about your own unfulfilled but fond dreams. I have a saying that life is about finding your music and dancing to it.  Dancing has always been something that comes natural to me and something that I love to do.  In one of my former lives, I took dancing lessons for years as a child and… Read More