Healthy Selfishness

May 31st, 2016
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kicking water

How was your Memorial Day weekend?  Having that extra day was the best!

I hope it was relaxing and the holiday weekend went pretty much the way you had planned it.

Before I continue with thoughts about Memorial Day weekend, let me say I am feeling bad about being away from Cry Laugh Heal recently and not posting as often as I would prefer.  I have not forgotten AT ALL about you or the ongoing dialogue we’ve started about working through our grief feelings while also trying to create new lives after the death of a loved one.

However, I … Read More

The Name Game

May 13th, 2016
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I am dating myself by asking you this question but it’s for a sweet reason so I’m going to go with it. Do you remember a popular song called The Name Game? It was a big hit when I was a young girl.  In fact, it was a huge hit that aired on the radio constantly.  My friends, siblings and I used to sing it ALL THE TIME because it was so absolutely silly.  We rode a big yellow school bus to elementary school five days a week from our house and I remember for a number of months we… Read More

5 On Friday

April 8th, 2016
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  What a freakin’ roller coaster of a week! Since I feel a bit spun around by the events of the last few days, it’s difficult today to put my thoughts into a few simple declarative sentences. Instead I found this dreamy picture. I really wish I were sitting in this car right now, smelling the fresh salt air and letting the warm ocean breeze play through my hair knowing that I could open the door, run to the beach and go swimming. But since I’m not really sitting in this car, I can do the next best thing:  imagine… Read More

Caregiving And Magical Thinking

April 1st, 2016
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When I typed “caregiving” into the Google search bar the following phrases immediately came up: Caregiving is difficult Caregiving is ruining my marriage Caregiving is a thankless job Caregiving is killing me Wow!.  More and more families are faced with issues of caregiving and are feeling the physical and emotional drain of it no matter how much you care about and love the person you are trying to help. Caregiving can be rewarding in surprising ways but it also can be challenging in ways you never imagined. I come from a large family and I really can’t remember a time… Read More

She Works Hard For The Money

February 26th, 2016
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Let’s talk about money. I know.  The subject of money is a delicate one for it goes to the core of our values, our lifestyles and perhaps even the pride we take in being able to support ourselves. Whether you are 18 or 81-years-old, single, married or widowed, every woman needs to know the financial facts about owning a home and knowing where and how much money is currently in the bank.  Please don’t think that someone is going to go out of their way to explain it to you.  If you already have a person who is helping you… Read More

Help! I Can’t Find The Right Card

December 7th, 2015
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This has happened to me at least a million times and I bet this has happened to you too! You find yourself in the card section of CVS or your local card store and you’ve been standing there for about 10 to 15 minutes scanning the cards, taking them out one by one, reading them and then quickly rejecting them and putting them back. Totally Dissatisfied. Nope. Nope. Nope. When that happens, here’s what I’m usually thinking: I so liked the picture or drawing on that particular card and it was so so close to what I was looking for… Read More

Holiday Temptations

December 4th, 2015
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Photo Courtesy of Katie Lee Kitchen Oh my goodness! A few days ago, I looked in the refrigerator and spied the last containers of homemade mashed potatoes and stuffing and I couldn’t take it anymore. I hate to waste food yet I had to throw the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers away!  I know I overindulged over the holiday and it was yummy and fun but it also is time for the food party to stop. But it’s really hard, right?  I know it is for me.  Maybe it’s a little easier for you.  I definitely like to think you… Read More

A Monday Affirmation

November 16th, 2015
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  I find myself this Monday morning saying HELLO and embracing a calming thought that I intend to use to set the tone of my day. At the beginning of a new week, and especially in light of the tragic terrorist events in Paris, I find this to be healing. Perhaps you need a small break from world news or something else happening in your personal life. Let your mind momentarily take a break: It was the   outstretched   hands, the   giving, that   mattered.         ~ Annie Proulx… Read More

Silence is Golden

June 26th, 2015
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Every day, in small ways, I now try to disconnect myself from electronic devices for short periods of time. That may sound ironic since I am writing this post on a computer and will later talk about it on social media but as much as I enjoy using a computer or an iPhone, I also see that they distract me from participating in the quieter moments of life. This light bulb moment came to me recently this summer during a couple of visits to our family farm in southern Maryland.  When I was a young child, it was more of… Read More