Posts Tagged: support

The Art of Resilience

March 15th, 2013
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Being Proactive Can Strengthen Your Resilience
The subject of resilience totally fascinates me.
Resilience is being able to bounce back after being tossed around by life.  Trying to figure out why one person bounces back from a life trauma and another person breaks from the pain tells us something about the human condition don’t you think?
It’s a roll of the dice. It’s the $64 million question.
The ability to stay on track and keep your focus, the ability to develop an inner strength in the face of adversity is inspiring to me and in turn I draw strength from … Read More

Writing About Grief & Finding The Right Words

February 26th, 2013
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I think the hardest thing about writing is writing.                                                ~ Journalist, Author and Screenwriter Nora Ephron During Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremony, tributes were paid to those in the film industry who passed away in the past year.  Nora Ephron was among the brilliant people in the entertainment business who sadly died last year.  She most certainly was a bright twinkling star in her own right and the producers of the show chose to display the above quote in her honor. Ephron was a keen observer of American culture and especially the stormy and romantic relationships between men and women. … Read More

In Written Sympathy

January 30th, 2013
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Yesterday I wrote a sympathy card to a man who once lived across the street from our family when I was growing up. Sadly, his wife died last week after suffering for about a year with a degenerative illness.  He could no longer take care of his wife by himself and instead moved her to a small caring medical facility a few blocks from their house.  It was a difficult decision for the whole family and I understand that he visited her almost every day.  I haven’t seen either one of them in years but they still are important people… Read More

Newtown, Connecticut

December 15th, 2012
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Murdering a child is an unspeakable act. Yesterday’s horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT., which involved the shooting of 27 people, including 20 young children, leaves us asking questions about our culture and praying for the parents and the community at large. As a parent myself, I try to place myself in their situation, but I cannot begin to fathom the depth of pain and shock those parents are experiencing.  My heart goes out them and I wish we could take it all away. We must talk openly about this incident, as hard as it is,… Read More

Christmas in NYC

December 10th, 2012
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My son and I took a quick trip to New York City this past weekend, continuing a family tradition started in his childhood.  New York City is magical to us and especially so at Christmas time. Yes, there are a lots of people in the city, especially around Rockefeller Center where the huge Christmas tree in all its glory is displayed, but to us it is worth the effort of manevering in and out of the crowds and then suddenly being able to break through and look up and see the thousands of dazzling lights covering the infamous Christmas tree… 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

Holiday Survival Tips

November 27th, 2012
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Finding Inner Peace During the Holiday Season Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah, the holiday season is filled with lots of conflicting memories and overwhelming expectations. Let’s be real: There is no such thing as a perfect holiday. There is only the holiday that you create yourself and celebrate, hopefully with people you care about and people who also care about you. The size of the decorations, the cost of the decorations, the number of parties, the quantity of food and alcohol and the amount of presents has nothing to do with the happiness you may or may not feel… Read More

From A Child’s Heart

November 14th, 2012
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I was browsing through two of my Letitia Baldrige books on manners while writing and posting last week about her recent death and came upon a very touching chapter she wrote on how a child learns to communicate a kind thought. I was immediately drawn into the chapter because in today’s world, it is a bit unusual to come across a child of any age who says “please” and “thank you” all on their own. In Baldrige’s book, “More Than Manners! Raising Today’s Kids to Have Kind Manners & Good Hearts,” she discusses the need to teach young boys and… 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