RIP Mary Oliver, Beloved Poet

January 18th, 2019
Posted By:

Mary OliverMary Oliver/Photo Courtesy of The New York Times

Mary Oliver, described by The New York Times as “far and away, this country’s best-selling poet,” died yesterday of lymphoma at the age of 83.

If you do nothing else today, please go read one of Mary Oliver’s insightful poems and after you read it, allow your brain to meander around in her words and freely think about it.  Allow yourself to wallow in her beautiful and clear thoughts; as though you were floating along on a soft, fluffy cloud.

Mary Oliver is infamous for writing the following line of poetry:

Tell Read More

5 Fabulous Ways to Heal

June 8th, 2017
Posted By:

Healing. What a great word!  When I say it or think about it, I feel warm inside, as though I just ate a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Our opportunities to find healing are all around us, just waiting for us to reach out.  We can let the passage of time take its own course by hoping, hoping, hoping that healing feelings will eventually wash over us or we can act on trying to heal our inner selves when we feel ready to face the sad or traumatic feelings that we carry in our hearts.  Feeling the pain and talking… Read More

Thriving In Fresh Air

March 28th, 2016
Posted By:

  Fresh air is necessary.  It delivers oxygen and new thoughts to our souls and helps us begin again. It’s that feeling that you get when you have been working inside for awhile and then you go outside, take a really deep breath and feel renewed. Yes.  I think I can go on. Fresh air.  Open the windows and let old frustrations escape and fly away while welcoming the new fresh spring air. We need it for our well being to grow and thrive. Fresh air gives us strength and resolve to stay on track. I came upon this uplifting… Read More

One Groovy Lavender Road Trip

October 16th, 2015
Posted By:

  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

Willing To Wonder

February 27th, 2014
Posted By:

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

Creative Encouragement

January 14th, 2014
Posted By:

Each day is a new opportunity to find inspiration! People, nature, architecture, words, acts of kindness or even criticism can spark inspiration in me to go forward and think about my life in a new or different way.  The world around us can serve to fuel the fire of our inner creativity or cause us to shift our ideas about the way life happens. Inspiration keeps me going and renews my faith and hope in the future of myself and others.  Regardless of where you find yourself right now or what happened to you last week, last month or last… Read More

DC — A Beautiful City

April 9th, 2013
Posted By:

This is how the weather works in Washington, DC:  a few days ago I was bundled up in a winter coat and wishing the sharp, chilly wind would die down.  Today, I am walking around the city without a coat and feeling so warm I wish I had shorts and flip flops on. The temperatures in the nation’s capital may turn on a dime but it doesn’t affect the beauty of the city. And now that it is warmer, I’m taking full advantage of all it’s splendor.Spring in Washington, DC is when you can see the city at its best. … Read More

Getting Into The Zen Groove

February 8th, 2013
Posted By:

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” – St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers   Courtesy of Bethany Fine Arts Gallery From my core being, I am trying so very hard to attain a zen state of mind. This year is the year when I am trying to learn to meditate and think about serene things and scenes of nature that bring to mind a balance of calm and beauty. It is a matter of trial… Read More

Have A Little Happiness

January 3rd, 2013
Posted By:

At this time of year, it is easy to find self-help advice almost everywhere we look: online, television, magazines, books. It’s the beginning of a new year and it’s traditionally a time to take stock of what we’ve done in the year gone by and think about what we want to improve about ourselves in the new year.   As we put up new calendars and turn a fresh page, we evaluate how we would like to go forward and perhaps we even have a new plan of action. Most people are hopeful that the bad habits that they practiced in… Read More