Posts Tagged: journey

Mindful Driving

May 10th, 2018
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bicycle girl

 

Driving down 95.

Windows down.

Fresh air swirling.

Alicia Keys full volume.

Girl is bomb.

Breathing deeply.

Deeply breathing.

Mind wandering.

Discarding negative.

Embracing change for warmer times.

T-shirts, shorts & flip-flops.

Welcoming new season.

Staying in moment.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Feeling healthy.

Feeling stronger.

Feeling ready.

Grateful.… Read More

Having A Thankful Heart

November 20th, 2017
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As we slide into this holiday week of Thanksgiving, my thoughts turn to the simple idea of setting aside a day to show gratitude. Yes life is crazy, messy and unpredictable. Yes the holiday season can be painful and a stinging reminder of a terrible loss or a difficult family situation. But you can sit yourself down and listen to your heart and acknowledge your limits.  Be aware of what you need before you join family and friends for any holiday event.  Express your thoughts and feelings to a trusted person.  Change up your expectations and instead focus on one… Read More

Father’s Day Without Dad

June 18th, 2017
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    Sometimes the most profound moments can happen in the middle of doing something ordinary. My Brother, Tom, and I were recently grocery shopping for our Mom.  At 86, our Mom has paid her dues and shouldn’t have to put even her little toe inside a grocery store anymore.  Sometimes she does like to get out and do her own errands and browse around the grocery store but on this particular day she was tired and needed some essentials so my brother and I decided to go for her. Let me pause here to quickly tell you a little… Read More

Grief Sucks

April 8th, 2017
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My Dad At A Gonzaga Rally  Dear Faithful Friends: Excuse my French, but as the title of this post suggests, grief does suck. I haven’t been on social media very much lately though it’s not for lack of trying.  Since my Dad’s death in February, I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to sit down and write something but all the words get balled up. I know I am stating the obvious but it needs to be said.  When you call something what it is, you bring it out into the open.  Maybe it just sits in… Read More

Daddy Grief

March 13th, 2017
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My Dad and I Goofing Around I miss my Dad.  A lot. I miss hearing his voice, talking to him and hanging out with him. I miss helping him with his eye drops, reading the newspaper to him and bringing him his favorite chicken salad sandwiches from Panera. I miss the way he talked like Donald Duck and his funny way of telling a story. His funeral was on March 2 and I am trying hard to figure out how to deal with his absence, the actual physical loss of him. I went to my parents house yesterday and it… Read More

Love Connections

February 14th, 2017
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Valentine’s Day may be what some people call a “Hallmark Holiday” but love is always worth celebrating whether you embrace all of the commercial hoopla or just quietly light a candle, give a meaningful hug or tap out a telephone number to connect with a special person. Love gives us hope.  Love makes us feel all tingly inside and helps our resilient hearts beat a little faster.  Love is exciting. Love is also risky.  To find it is definitely a roll of the emotional dice and, depending on the person, you may want to immediately throw the dice.  Or as … Read More

Merry Christmas 2016

December 24th, 2016
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Photo Courtesy of Victoria Magazine Just like you, I have surrounded myself this past week with rolls of wrapping paper, scotch tape, ribbons and layers of tissue paper as I have carefully and lovingly wrapped Christmas presents for my family and friends. Some of the presents made me smile for they brought back how I felt when I found the particular item and how I immediately knew it was the right gift.  Score! But as I came to the presents that I had bought for my parents they seemed woefully inadequate. My parents are now in their eighties and at… Read More

Me As Buddy The Elf

December 20th, 2016
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Photo Courtesy of Country Living This holiday season I feel a bit like Buddy from the popular Christmas movie, Elf. Remember the scene where Buddy the elf, who is magically played by Will Ferrell, travels from the North Pole to New York City to find his father and explains to his new family that elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup? That would be me this holiday season.  Except for the candy corn, which I have never liked because I think it tastes like some kind of plastic or wax.… Read More

Hard Days Kind Actions

October 7th, 2016
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I was having one of those days recently when I was doing my best to think positively but it didn’t seem to be working out. My thoughts felt powerless as things disintegrated around me.  Stuck in traffic.  Rescheduled deadlines. Unscheduled meetings.  Extra phone calls to untangle things that had been screwed up.  No matter how hard I tried to stay calm and focused on turning things around, I couldn’t change it. While the meltdown continued to happen throughout my day, I tried to figure out how things started to go south.  I was trying to see in my mind’s eye… Read More