Latest Blogs

Have you heard of them? How do you live them?
I enjoy reading about meditation and mindfulness. In the book Living Beautifully: with uncertainty and change, are listed the eight worldly concerns, presented in four pairs of opposites. Our job in life is to learn to stay in the middle...
pleasure and paingain and lossfame and disgracepraise and blame
The greatest force being pleasure and pain. We...

His existence shaped our lives, his death transformed our hearts...
Ryan Kenneth Zarlenga
12/7/87 - 2/23/93
The sun had not yet risen when I awoke with a stir of fear, today our lives would change. Slowly we eased onto the roadway, waiting, although he was tempted to escape the red light that hindered our progress. The temperature was 37, and the rain speckled our windshield as the journey began....

We all forget to observe the world around us, I know even I get distracted...
Despite the cold, did you notice the beauty in the glistening diamonds when the sun dazzles the blankets of snow that mask the scenery. Or remember when traffic is plodding along, at least you can drive. As for that rude person you encounter, just imagine how unhappy they are each day and you will find pity, or sadness,...

there are days I need to stop myself from sinking...
I begin to disappear, immersing into the anguish that has transpired, like a tepid bath that keeps drawing one near. Bracing myself from the brevity of it all as I balance on this high wire. Trying to punctuate all I am capable of doing, help those around me, while still compelled to follow my dreams.
I have not died, I am still here...
A heavy...

Time flies and here we are with another year behind us...A year that was filled with more dreams created and memories made.
A unique bond forms when people struggle together through the ups and downs of life, that glue which fastens us through the tough times making the good times even better. How blessed we are to have you, always striving to make our lives better. 
 When I need strength to...

Maybe the date has nothing to do with things....
Or maybe it does? My father died 17 years ago on my husband and his brothers birthdays, he would have been 71 in March. I often wondered of all the dates in a year, why that date. Was it because he knew my husband would step in where he left off?
To say my father was strict when I grew up would speak mildly of those teen years. I tested all the boundaries,...

Yesterday we spent the day together pampering Deb...
with a trip to Sam Wanna spa for a facial and a hair appointment with Amanda!
Our childhood so vibrant in her memory
Her 50th when I took her to Amanda
hanging out with Amanda again yesterday.... looking forward to more celebrating!
Learning about what is important in life and hopeful for the future, we will celebrate! 
Happy Birthday...

In the recent years after my return to school, a favorite part of English class was poetry...
 
I decided to go back and look at some of my favorite poets, including some recommended by others. The timing on finding  this gem a second time was priceless. Listed as one of the best in poetry, I love the stories that unfold with her words in verse. Born in Maple Heights Ohio, her poetry can be both...

Thirty-one days of grateful...
I chose the month of January to begin a grateful journal. To recognize the good that surrounds me, even on the toughest of days. I plan to continue beyond the 31 days, but this was my beginning to a more grateful 2015
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow
January 1 - today I am grateful for the opportunity to spend...