A Year of Blessings

January 17th, 2013
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How Have You Been Blessed?
I know we are in the middle of January, but I just saw this idea on a website called The Honest Company (www.honest.com) and I wanted to share it right away.  Hopefully, this idea is new for you too!
Here’s the basic idea:  At the beginning of a new year, start writing down blessings that happen to you throughout the year and put them in a container.  On New Year’s Eve or Day 2014, you can empty out the jar and read all about the year of blessings that you had!
The Honest … Read More

Revisiting Maurice Sendak

January 16th, 2013
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Maurice Sendak is known as an internationally renowned prize-winning children’s book author and illustrator but he also has a message for adults too. When children read his most famous book, “Where The Wild Things Are,” they run around and play as if they are monsters, just like the ones in Sendak’s book.  Spontaneously and instantly, children enter Sendak’s world with love and abandon. Adults may want to join the children in their play but their “adultness” sometimes holds them back.  “Oh, that’s a child’s book” or “I can’t play like that” or “I shouldn’t play like that” are some of… Read More

January Baby

January 9th, 2013
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I am a January Baby and yesterday was my birthday. I am happy to have a birthday (Elvis and I were born on the same day!) but I wish I had been born at a different time of the year. By the time my birthday arrives, people are usually burnt out from the holidays.  Throughout the years, I have found that friends and family are either on a diet in January or they had spent too much money on Christmas so they are back on a budget in January.  Sometimes I have received gifts in Christmas wrapping paper and sometimes… Read More

Buddy The Elf

December 31st, 2012
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A baby boy crawls into Santa’s satchel of presents and travels back with him to the North Pole….. So begins the wonderful story of “Elf,” a classic Christmas movie which captures the spirit of innocence and hope.  If you’ve never see “Elf,” I highly recommend it. With a new year right around the corner, there is no reason for us to abandon the uplifting feeling of the holidays just because Christmas and Hanukkah are over. Comedian Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf I have watched “Elf” many times when it it isn’t even close to the holiday season just because… Read More

Being All In

December 12th, 2012
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This holiday season, I am appreciating the endless decorations of bows, bells and evergreens, listening to the traditional Christmas music that seems to be playing everywhere and trying to find wonderful presents for those that I love. I’ve been to a few Christmas parties and also donated to schools and other groups who are dependent upon help from others so that they may continue their community work that is so crucial to helping men, women and children who are homeless and without a place to go for regular shelter and meals. I am trying to give of myself and think… Read More

Melissa’s Story

December 4th, 2012
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Melissa Betrand Knights (baseball cap) with her children After a loved one dies, we try to find ways to stay connected to them even though they are no longer physically with us. Our memories of being with that person, or of just the person by themselves, is a strong bond that can never be broken.  Sometimes we save a piece of clothing they wore or some everyday item that brings great meaning to us.  Being in a particular place, smelling a scent or hearing a song can bring those strong memories back to us without any notice but sometimes that… Read More

Now Is Powerful

November 12th, 2012
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Photo By Patti Raab When I was in my twenties, I felt as though I had all the time in the world to do whatever it was I wanted to do.  I think that feeling was the luxury of youth.  I had no sense of needing to get things done urgently because if it didn’t happen today I was confident that I would get another chance tomorrow.  There would always be tomorrow for a do-over, if you will. “See you tomorrow!” “Oh, I’ll tell you about that later.” “Yeah we have to find a date and then we’ll do it. … Read More

Friday Tunes — “What’s Going On”

November 9th, 2012
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It’s been an emotional week with Election Day happening on Tuesday and all of its rollercoaster effects still going on.  I know I am getting older because I stayed up until 2 am on Tuesday night to watch the election results and most of the candidate speeches and I am still recovering from it.  It’s sad but true! How are you fairing? So I thought it would be fun to end the week with some soulful music because listening to tunes always feeds the soul and heals the heart. This is an oldie, a flash from the past as they… Read More

Perspective

September 25th, 2012
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Photo By Patti Raab Have you ever been sitting in your car at a traffic light waiting for the light to turn and you look out the window and see something that’s probably been there for months but right at that moment it’s as if you are seeing it for the first time? Why haven’t I noticed that building before?  Are those new plants?  How long has that bench been there? When you slow down or stop the usual routine of what you are doing, it can give you an opportunity to really see the world around you and notice… Read More