Posts Tagged: friends

The Ever Expanding Thanksgiving Table

November 23rd, 2015
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Grateful Hearts

For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving in our family is about reaching out and sharing.

During our childhood, my parents always reminded the six of us that we could invite anyone that we knew who might not have a place to go and might possibly be spending Thanksgiving alone.

And they meant it.

The Cranston Thanksgiving table always had room for more people.  For friends who couldn’t make it home to their families, for people who had no where else to go and for elderly relatives who had paid their dues in preparing Thanksgivings past and now needed … Read More

Waiting for The Great Pumpkin

October 30th, 2015
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  Halloween arrives this weekend and it brings back very fond memories of me and my husband taking our son out to trick or treat in different neighborhoods and watching him run from door to door with his friends, so excited and amazed to be getting free candy! I remember all of his costumes, some of which I made myself (Thomas The Tank Engine and Simba) and some that I bought at the store (Cookie Monster and Ninja Warrior). The cute, cute, cute picture above is of one of my son’s first Halloweens.  He loved his Spider Man pajamas so… Read More

Grief And Honest Conversations

October 23rd, 2015
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Just as we all grieve differently, we all heal differently. Healing is a personal search for hope; a trial and error process of looking for a new purpose; a way to feel a little more centered again as you try to make sense of what life is about for you and perhaps your children after a loved one’s death. I think it took me about eight to ten months after my husband’s death to realize that I couldn’t figure it all out on my own and I had to find help. Unfortunately, as much as family and friends try to… Read More

One Groovy Lavender Road Trip

October 16th, 2015
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  Road trips are part of the American way of life. Maybe this weekend you, your friends or family have a road trip planned to take advantage of this transitional time of year: picking out your special pumpkins, checking out the leaves turning glorious reds and yellows or just visiting a new destination. Road trips can help us recharge our inner selves.  You know.  That inner voice.  That oh so precious deep core of ourselves that keeps us one with the horizon and helps us process the ups and downs of this beautiful and crazy trip called life. I know… Read More

Sweet Summer Stress Reduction

September 8th, 2015
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Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.                ~ Anne Lamott There’s a rumor floating around that summer is over but I don’t believe one word of it. Temperatures in Washington, DC are still hovering in the low 90’s, corn on the cob is still in season, along with awesome tasty tomatoes, and I’m continuing to wear flip flops to work even though the calendar says September. I admit I have seen a few signs that some kind of seasonal change is upon us such as leaves changing colors and falling off trees,… Read More

A Cup Of Healing

September 2nd, 2015
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  A wonderful friend recently gave me the hand made ceramic cup pictured above. Sometimes I keep it on my kitchen counter or the desk where I work on my computer.  And then sometimes I put it on my bedroom chest of drawers.  I like to move it around the house because there is something comforting about it’s handmade texture and it brings to mind the simple yet special things about life. Things that ease my frantic feelings when I am stressed.  Such as receiving an unexpected telephone call from someone I haven’t heard from in a long time or… Read More

A Letter to Hallie Biden

June 11th, 2015
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Beau Biden and his family:                                                 Wife Hallie Biden (Left) Daughter Natalie (Middle) and Son Hunter (Right).                                                 Special to The News Journal/SAQUAN STIMPSON Dearest Hallie: We have never met but my thoughts are with you this morning. Please accept my sincerest condolences upon the death of your beloved husband, Beau Biden.  His funeral this past Saturday was touching and heartbreaking and by allowing his Mass to be aired on television, you gave others the opportunity to grieve with you and also to draw strength from the open and emotional manner in which the Biden family gracefully handled the heartbreak of Beau’s… Read More

David Letterman and Funny Kids

June 5th, 2015
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It’s Friday.  Fabulous, fantastic Friday. Yea!!!! I don’t know about you but by the end of the week I think we all deserve to find something that can make us laugh.  We were made to laugh.  It’s part of the human DNA.  Laughing is an immediate mood buster that instantly makes me feel whole lot better about what is going on in my neck of the woods. Did you know that laughter releases the endorphins in your body?  Endorphins (this word always makes me think of dolphins jumping out of the water) are the body’s natural feel-good chemicals and when … Read More

A New Look For Cry Laugh Heal

June 3rd, 2015
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  Hello! I am beyond excited for you to finally see the makeover of Cry Laugh Heal. It has been in the works for months and after a lot of hard work it feels wonderful to finally reveal it live and in living color. This remake comes about because I wanted a fresher, more polished look for Cry Laugh Heal.  One that would continue to contain personal thoughts about the explosive changes and quiet moments of desperation that can happen when a loved dies but also to give others who are grieving and trying to figure out how to get… Read More