Posts Tagged: love

Holiday Breathing Space

December 11th, 2015
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mercury glass

As the calendar pulls me closer to the holidays, I am feeling those inner twinges that happen when my time starts being crunched by competing priorities at work and home.

I try to look ahead and plan to prevent this feeling of running out of time to shop, cook and decorate but this year, somehow, it snuck up on me.

It started a few days ago when I thought I knew what to buy for some family members and then I found out that the person already had the thing I had in mind and then some of the other … 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

The Ever Expanding Thanksgiving Table

November 23rd, 2015
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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

Accepting Vulnerability

November 12th, 2015
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  Tommy At The Beach My heart is in a vulnerable place today for as much as I try every day to go forward and rebuild my life, the 12th of November always pulls me back to the morning of when my beloved husband Tommy died.  I have found there is really no way to prepare for this anniversary.  The ying and yang of the day can make me momentarily feel as though it just happened but then in the next moment it can make me feel that it has been more than 12 years since his tragic death. Little… Read More

Happening Monday

November 9th, 2015
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Me (left) and My Sister Sheila (right) with our Dad Wow! I don’t know about you but this past weekend just flew!! Mine was full of family activities and I was glad to get to all of them but in making sure it all got done, it seems that the weekend was spent going from one event to the next, and now I find, in the blink of an eye, that it’s Monday morning. I hope your weekend was productive and/or lots of fun and that many good things happened to you. Looking back on the past several days it… 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

The Martian and Grief

October 12th, 2015
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Actor Matt Damon Plays An Astronaut In the newly released movie, The Martian My 25-year-old son went to see the new Matt Damon movie, The Martian, the other night and he was telling me that he enjoyed it a lot because it made him think about his deceased father. The Martian is a new movie about an astronaut who is mistakenly left on Mars, presumed to be dead after a fierce storm.  It’s a warm science fiction, adventure techie kind of movie that pokes fun at the geekier side of life. My son’s Dad was an award-winning journalist who covered… Read More

A Whale of A Baby

October 5th, 2015
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Baby Shower Table Scape Notice the whale as centerpiece   My Mom and I hosted a baby shower for my niece yesterday and it was healing in a fun way to pause with my other sisters and close relatives to celebrate the arrival of a new family member. I think it’s always good news when a baby is on the way; beginnings are always exciting and so full of hope! At the shower we had an advice jar where people wrote their tips on slips of paper for my helping my niece transition to motherhood.  Here are a few examples… Read More

Baby, I Miss You

September 11th, 2015
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“I miss you.” It’s as simple and as complicated as a human emotion can be. Today is one of those days when thousands of Americans, including myself, will set aside time to remember and honor an event that changed us as human beings and Americans. It’s also one of those days when people around the globe will silently, angrily, tearfully and wistfully say, “I miss you,” as they remember a deceased loved one. For today is a day when the nation mentally turns the clock back 14 years to September 11, 2001, that horrific day of terrorism attacks in New… Read More