Posts Tagged: strength

Holiday Temptations

December 4th, 2015
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katie lee kitchen

 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 Boys In The Boat — NonFiction

November 30th, 2015
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Having a holiday break is so great on many levels. I’m not on a regular schedule, I’m surrounded by homemade holiday food and I have the time to read.  Over this past Thanksgiving break, I had the extra time to finally finish an amazing and beautifully written  book that I enjoyed so much I would like to recommend it to you: The Boys In The Boat. Officially,  The Boys In The Boat is a true story about nine young working class American boys and their gritty quest to win the gold medal in rowing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.  But… 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

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

Constructive Living

September 28th, 2015
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So I find myself in an emotional place where I constantly feed my soul and busy brain with positive thoughts about life and the people that I care about. I also am working on centering myself through mediation and am learning the value of breathing. And I pray all the time: in the morning when I wake up, in the car, at work, at the grocery store and before I fall asleep. Yet several frustrating situations in my personal life continue to happen. Over and over again.  Even when I try to take regular breaks from the stress of them.… Read More

A Kind Connection

September 21st, 2015
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Mondays can sometimes feel a bit painful right? I find it helpful to plunge into a new work week by thinking about something positive or fun that may have happened to me over the weekend and those good feelings can help carry me through Monday. Something I will be thinking about today was an act of kindness that happened over the weekend from a person I hardly know. I was at a new yoga class on Saturday and while we were rolling up our mats after a peaceful session, some of us began to talk about Pope Francis and his… 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

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

A Letter to Hallie Biden

June 11th, 2015
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Beau Biden and his family:                                                 Wife Hallie Biden (Left) Daughter Natalie (Middle) and Son Hunter (Right).                                                 Special to The News Journal/SAQUAN STIMPSON Dearest Hallie: We have never met but my thoughts are with you this morning. Please accept my sincerest condolences upon the death of your beloved husband, Beau Biden.  His funeral this past Saturday was touching and heartbreaking and by allowing his Mass to be aired on television, you gave others the opportunity to grieve with you and also to draw strength from the open and emotional manner in which the Biden family gracefully handled the heartbreak of Beau’s… Read More