author, writer, editor
As December winds down, it’s time to reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going. So what lessons learned in 2013 might guide me into 2014? The biggest one this year is that life itself is a miracle to be embraced every day with gratitude and love. It’s a lesson life has taught me before, … Read more
The yearly feeding frenzy of holiday shoppers has begun. While post-Thanksgiving shoppers ventured forth with tasers in hand and hearts full of greed and aggression, my mood turned pensive. Is this really what life is all about? What compels someone to leave their table of blessing to find (and sometimes fight with others to get) more … Read more
Invictus by William Ernest Henley Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. … Read more
When I was small, I was a part of a boisterous extended family in which shouting was the norm. Being an introvert by nature (and a person with acute hearing), the noise at family gatherings was a challenge for me to manage. I was even more challenged when anger crept into the shouting. When the … Read more
Mastering the balance between accepting life as it is and realizing that our thoughts create our reality is a life-long endeavor. Many modern-day gurus and life coaches of all stripes are quick to tell us that everything we experience we create. I’m not disputing that the essence of what they say is true, but I believe life … Read more
Brene Brown is my she-ro; she has ventured deeply into the “swampland of the soul,” looked at shame straight in the eye and dared to tell us what she saw. Brown is part of a long line of women who have taught and inspired me with her knowledge and her courage. She wakes us out of our … Read more
For so many years, I have been dogged by the fear that I wouldn’t live up to my potential. Since high school, I have framed it as “singing my song.” It comes from my belief that all of us have a unique “being-ness,” a unique gift that we were given to develop and share with … Read more
Have you ever wondered why you are instantly attracted to, or repelled by, some people? We’ve all met people who send out “vibes” that make us want to stay close and others whose vibes make us want to run away—quick. Those “vibes” have now been scientifically located and are measurable. It turns out that research … Read more
Listening to ourselves, to our own inner stirrings, is an act of awakening that leads us on a journey to wholeness. This listening is not simply thinking through an issue or problem and making a decision. This kind of listening is an act of consciousness that calls us to our deepest knowings—to the key bits … Read more
Each morning we awake, we have a choice. Will we let the circumstances of our life determine the level of joy and gratitude we feel that day or will joy and gratitude flow simply from the gift of the day? Some days have more challenges than others yet how we perceive those challenges determines whether … Read more