Posts Tagged: grief

40 Ways To Lose The Clutter

March 7th, 2014
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No matter how hard I try to keep my stuff under control somehow it doesn’t behave.
Day by day I try to throw out papers, mail, and other stuff that has outlived its welcome but still there is always more stuff to deal with or organize.  Not all of it is important stuff, but still it’s stuff that I don’t want to buy again.  Here’s my fear and maybe you can identify with it: once I throw out certain things, I’ll find I immediately need it.
Sweet readers, what is a person to do?  How do you deal with your … Read More

Giving Comfort

March 4th, 2014
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Yesterday was a snow day in Washington, DC with the local and federal governments shut down and people resigning themselves to once again bundle up and go out and shove and clear their cars of winter’s one two punch: ice and snow. Before I braved the outdoors, I indulgently hung out in my pajamas and worked on the computer, answering emails and checking out Twitter for Oscar gossip.  I also made use of my snow day by tackling a large stack of magazines in my home office and in hopes of ridding myself of some unnecessary clutter. I came upon… Read More

In Honor Of The Oscars

March 3rd, 2014
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In honor of the Oscars last night, I’d like to give out a personal award.Last night’s Academy Awards speeches seemed to me to be particularly emotional, expressing the gratitude of recognition, the fulfillment of dreams and deep thanks for the years of incredible support that people received while working on their ground breaking film projects.It brought to mind for me the role that others play in our lives during difficult times and reminded me that support groups around the country are on the front lines of our communities, doing the nitty gritty, down and dirty and painful work of helping… Read More

Ew! It’s Funny Friday

February 28th, 2014
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What a whirl of a week this had been.  Deadlines. Pressure.  Meltdowns.  Not me.  Others. You’re familiar with this kind of dynamic aren’t you?  I know you must be because there is no way that this kind of stuff only happens to me. How do I deal?  (Did I hear someone say booze?) No my friends I don’t drink but I do make a lot of jokes about being in really awful situations because humor helps me cope.  I constantly make jokes about myself — and believe me there’s a lot of material there — and I also make jokes… Read More

Willing To Wonder

February 27th, 2014
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I do not at all understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.           ~ Anne Lamott… Read More

Beyond His Clutter

February 21st, 2014
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Oh my goodness I can so identify with the story that I am sharing with you today. It’s a story titled, 54 Drawers, and it’s about a daughter who thoughtfully and lovingly is going through the drawers and drawers of file cabinets containing huge amounts of paper her recently deceased father stored in the office of his house. In my case it was and still is the papers that my late husband left in his office.  Over the years, I have made a lot of progress and thrown out lots and lots of boxes containing everything from old bills, old… Read More

Say Yes to Empowerment

February 18th, 2014
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The essence of resilience is bouncing back to a healthy place after you have been counted out. Emotionally resilient people recognize that some good can come from even the most traumatic events.  Not only are people resilient but cities can be too.  Look at New York City.  In the 1970’s, New York City was a dangerous place.  It’s economy was on the verge of collapse and its streets and subways were full of crime and gangs and homeless people.  People could not find jobs.  Traveling to New York City today, there is hardly any evidence of its darker and grittier… Read More

Your Life, Your Movie

February 17th, 2014
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“Stay In Your Own Movie” ~ DeVon Franklin When my son was a young child, he would talk about going to various friend’s houses to play and how wonderful their house was, how great their snacks were and how nice their parents were and how perfect everything always seemed when he was there at whatever friends house he happened to be.  Sometimes he would even tell me that the parents of some of his friends never even ever argued.  Ever. First I told him that they were waiting for him to leave so they could have their argument and then… Read More

Kimmy Kirkwood & Will Stacey’s Love Story

February 5th, 2014
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The social media giant, Facebook, marked its tenth anniversary yesterday. Big deal, you say?  It’s just a place for people to go online and post the silly and sometimes significant happenings of their life? Yes.  That’s exactly it. Facebook is the world’s largest social network, connecting 1.23 billion people to each other and Kimmy Kirkwood is especially grateful that on Facebook she can find a priceless record of pictures and status updates she had with the love of her life, a Marine named Will Stacey. Kimmy Kirkwood and Will Stacey Photo Courtesy of Kimmy Kirkwood Here’s a classic Will Stacey… Read More