Latest Blogs

"Grief changes shape but it never ends" 
Gratitude: Week 41 (April 2nd - April 8th)
Last weekend my girlfriend Kristin and I attended a church Women's day of service with an opportunity to volunteer and provide support and service for various organizations. They often say when you give, you get more in return and for this day, that is an understatement...
Following a brief devotion, we chose...

"Let your joy burst forth like flowers in the spring"
It is not quite dawn and the birds are already busy chirping their songs of joy, a welcome return and one of my favorite signs of spring. All a promise of new beginnings with a flourish of green dressing the naked trees as a Robin returns to its seasonal routine and the daffodils burst with color, these intricate details distribute new joy to...

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~ Melody Beattie
Gratitude: Week 40 (March 26th - April 1st)
As we cleared out another room for renovations I dusted off some old scrapbooks and took a seat getting lost in a sea of memories. Memories of the kids birthdays, family vacations, and ordinary happiness gathered neatly on the pages embellished...

"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort." ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt 
What brought you JOY - Week 13
At the start of the New Year, I began a conscious journey towards change. Not just the change that happens by doing nothing, but the switch that occurs when I make mindful choices for a better self. These plans create the momentum I need with the slow and steady...

My life currently - March
Here is one way to document the months of your life with a list of what is CURRENTLY going on...
DRINKING | Water
EATING | Yellow Apples and almond butter
EMBRACING | the mess of construction
CATCHING | Spring cleaning
ENJOYING | Warmer new writing course
COOKING | soup
TRYING | healthy eating
MISSING | 
FEELING | Relaxed
LISTENING | Lilac girls
WATCHING |...

"Gratitude is not a fair weather virtue. True gratitude means appreciating your life no matter what the storms bring."
Gratitude: Week 39 (March 19th - March 25th)
Blue skies and gratitude
Pausing in amazement I glance out the window and consider the splash of blue among the bitter clouds. Amidst the darkness, the vibrant color distributes a joyful brilliance as it peeks through the veil of gray,...

"Suffering is inevitable, they said, but how we respond to that suffering is our choice. Not even oppression or occupation can take away this freedom to choose our response. Right”    
 ~The book of joy
What brought you Joy: Week 12
As I read The book of JOY I am reminded of the simple ways to unravel joy. Noticing the positive changes as I learn from heartache and the betrayals of life...

"Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty." ~Doris Day 
Gratitude: Week 38 (March 12 - March 18)
In my attempts to embrace each step of this journey with gratitude I am uncovering how to be present. Transforming the search for the next thing to being in the moment. Resisting the urge to fill the calendar and then seek calm or discover days of quiet to only crave noise.
"We are so busy watching...

 "Comparison is the thief of JOY"
What brought you joy: Week 11 
Recently, right before an important meeting, I asked my husband if he was nervous? "Why would I be nervous" he replied, reminding me again of the opposite ways we view the world and what we consider stressful.
The opportunities in his business life represent the puzzles he is eager to solve while those same challenges unravel me....

"Gratitude doesn't change the scenery.  It merely washes clean the glass you look through so you can clearly see the colors."  ~ Richelle E. Goodrich
Week 37 - (March 5th - 11th)
Time has a way of softening things. What once was a harsh reality gently dissolves into a lesson, a season of enrichment that blooms when I recognize the catalyst propelling me into my story. What began as an unfair...