Posts Tagged: family

Snapshots of Caregiving

April 2nd, 2014
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Helping to care for someone, whether they are young or old, is a time to step up to the plate and show how much that person means to you and many times it also turns out to be a time of personal growth.
I have taken care of lots of babies and toddlers and I have also taken care of elderly relatives.  Until you do it, you really don’t realize how much time and energy it takes to properly care for another person.
For me it is instinctive.  I see the need and I want to help.  There are few … Read More

Family Time

March 31st, 2014
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It’s that time of year in my family. Time to celebrate the birthdays of my parents who are in their 80’s.  My Mom and Dad’s birthdays land on the calendar exactly a week apart so in the last few years my siblings and I have started celebrating their birthdays together in the interest of harmony, world peace and all that is holy. We know we are blessed to have our parents still with us and we definitely don’t take it for granted.  Not for one minute.  But sometimes it can be tricky in making sure that each birthday receives the… Read More

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

March 17th, 2014
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If it’s March, it must be that time of year again when everything green is up for grabs and my family is never embarrassed to wear as much of it as possible. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all and I’m sure you’re planning to do it up proud! My large and boisterous family gathered yesterday before the snow hit the Washington, DC area to celebrate our Irish ancestry and all the stops were pulled out for a grand time. So in the tradition of my Celtic tribe, it was an afternoon of irreverent jokes and imitations, lots of food and… Read More

Dorothy Flies Over Kansas

March 11th, 2014
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If I live to be 92 years young, I hope I am as adventurous and free spirited as Dorothy Ellis! She is fearless! Dorothy was in hospice care when she told her family that she wanted to fly over her home in Kansas in a powered parachute that she had watched many times in the open sky as she gazed from her window. Her family and her hospice nurse put their worries about her age and her health aside and to their credit they made Dorothy’s wish come true!  I love her reaction at the end of the flight!  Sadly,… Read More

A Listening Binge

February 12th, 2014
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For the past several weeks, I have been on a listening binge and it feels healing. There are a number of family members and friends who are going through various kinds of difficult personal situations and, in trying to be helpful, I have been listening to what they tell me they want to talk about, in particular what it feels like to be in their crisis, what they really wish they could do to solve it and how frustrating it is to have the situation go on and on. Listening may seem as though it is a passive activity but… Read More

Kickstarting Change

January 6th, 2014
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Hey there!  I hope you had a great and productive weekend or perhaps it was a weekend chock full of fun! Mine was full, but it was full of running interference for family members and in particular trying to understand the emotional needs of one family member.  I keep reminding myself that life and it’s unpleasant conflicts are all about love, love, love! In the midst of this whirlwind weekend of emotions, I found the following quote which I felt was insightful and particularly timely: “And that is how change happens. One gesture.  One person. One moment at a time.”                        … Read More

Thoughts on New Year’s Eve

December 31st, 2013
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Time is one the most precious of commodities we have. It should never be wasted and always treasured for its possibilities. On this New Year’s Eve of 2013, I hold in my hands my fresh new calendar for 2014 that I will hang in the kitchen tomorrow and as I flip through the untouched months and days, I wonder what this year holds for me, my family and my friends. Of course I hope for only good and fantastic things to happen to those I care about and that includes you my dear and wonderful readers!  Thank you so much… Read More

Family Dynamics

December 27th, 2013
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I’m sure I’m stating the obvious when I say that every family has its own dynamic and its own way of relating to each other and I think that this special form of communication developed within the family over the years is revealed in its barest form on a holiday. Let me tell you about mine.  Please?  Okay.  At least a little bit. Take 15 adults, 8 grandchildren in their teens and twenties, 6 children under the age of six and one newborn baby and put them all together in close quarters for a number of hours and what do… Read More

Christmas Eve 2013

December 24th, 2013
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Have you been naughty or nice this year? Santa knows which one, and as the song says, he’s making a list and checking it twice! On this Christmas Eve, that seemed to arrive so quickly this year, I hope Santa is good to you and brings you exactly what you wished for.  Santa is one busy dude you know so don’t forget to put out the milk and cookies for him!  Sometimes we leave him a nice cold beer because we know that with all of his dashing around that he has worked up quite a thirst! Photo Courtesy of… Read More