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Who Is In Your Corner, And How Do You Keep Them There?

April 22, 2013 Read 49 comments and add your own

Last weekend, a strange thing happened when I drove on the throughway toward Syracuse. I was just driving along minding my own business, listening to my book on CD, and I looked up just in time to see the 329th mile marker.

This strange phenomen happens almost EVERY time I make this drive. (In both directions!) 3/29 is my birthday. It is curious that I would never notice any other ones, but always look up just in time for this one. who is in your corner

It surprises me, because I make the drive so infrequently that I forget to anticipate it.

But, then again, I’m not really surprised. Continue Reading →

How Do You Know You Are Happy?

March 25, 2013 Read 33 comments and add your own

Why is it that people know sadness more than happiness? Why do the negative stories of our lives stand out so much more prominently in our minds than the good stuff? Why do we hear all of the no’s and take the yes’s in stride barely registering them?

When we learn that emotional pain is a state of mind, why isn’t that good news? Why do we go right to judgment, either of self: “If I can’t change this, what is wrong with me?” or judgement of others: “They must not understand how bad it is.” And let that stick us to the negative place even more.

Last night someone said to me, “It is going to be hard.” I said “Why?” He said, “I don’t know, I just made that up in my head.”

Yeah, you did. Who knows how it is going to be? How do you think that will effect you to think it is hard? What if you go through the whole event saying “This is hard, this is hard.” Could fun even find you in that state of mind? Continue Reading →

I Miss You Means I Love You

December 13, 2012 Read 24 comments and add your own

I miss you means I love you

Missing is a common human phenomenon. I feel “missing” everyday. I miss my  family while I am working. I miss my clients when I am home. I miss friends who live out of town. I miss my family who have passed on.

Missing people can feel painful at times when the longing feels huge and a loneliness creeps out of the darkness. Continue Reading →

5 Ways to Heal, 4 Ways to Heal, 1 Way to Heal

December 3, 2012 Read 29 comments and add your own

Open up to live now not in the future

Live in the moment

How many ways are there to heal?  I guess it depends on who you ask. If you asked me, I would say,

“7, no, 5, no, probably 4, actually a million… but really, they are all one way.”

So there are a million different healing modalities, I hear about a new one at least every day. Each claim to be the answer. Some seem cockamamie, some intrigue me. But don’t people realize that they are variations of the same theme? There are (to me) obvious similarities in ones that work. They each include the concepts below. Try any of them you feel called to, but see if you can recognize  these within. Continue Reading →

A Thank You To Me

November 22, 2012 Read 42 comments and add your own

Flora Bowley Temple Lillies

Flora Bowley Temple Lillies

I thank you so much for reading here every week. If you feel like thanking me, I would welcome you to do me a huge favor.

I have been planning to improve my site for a while and looking for some artwork that can speak for me before making changes. I found that in Flora Bowley. On Monday, you fell in love with her, too.

In addition to visual changes, my plan is to improve my title and tag lines. This is a BIG decision and I will benefit from help making it. And so I am asking you all. (My own personal focus group.)

Continue Reading →

How to Create Rituals

September 13, 2012 Read 19 comments and add your own

How to create rituals

These are rocks I used to symbolize a community surrounding a loved one going through a hard time.

We don’t usually think too hard about how to create rituals, since most of the ones that we engage in everyday came from our culture.

I loved the comments and ideas shared after Monday’s post Five Benefits of Ritual. Everyone seemed to understand that we engage in ritual constantly even though there are many names for it. They can also be called habits and routines. We call it writing, praying, exercising, cooking, eating, talking, breathing, kissing, reading, holding hands, watching a TV show, planning, celebrating, laughing, playing, etc, etc.

How to create rituals?

1. Decide to do something consciously. That “something” could be anything–whatever is important to us.  Making a commitment, giving ourselves some time to breathe, letting go of hurt, embarking on a new project, or stepping into a new identity.  Continue Reading →

Five Benefits of Rituals

September 10, 2012 Read 22 comments and add your own

“Rituals” may be a confusing term for some people. When I was growing up Catholic, this term was off putting to me. It conjured images of black magic.

Five benefits of rituals Little did I realize I was involved in rituals everyday: I recited the Pledge of Allegiance every morning at school, said a pray before meals, light candles as an altar server at church, and attended weddings and baptisms. All with positive, life-giving intentions. Rituals create a space for us to focus on what is most important to us, make commitments, embrace beliefs, forgive, celebrate accomplishment, honor community, and show appreciation. Whether we know it or not, we do them all the time. And the benefits are immeasurable. Continue Reading →

Zen and Perspective

August 6, 2012 Read 16 comments and add your own

zen and perspective, perspective is everything, effects of perspective

Perspective Is Everything

Some people from four different religions argued about what God looked like. Each feeling his description was the correct one.  They went to Buddha to settle their dispute.

The Buddha asked that they bring him an elephant and four blind men.

He brought the four blind men to the elephant and asked them what the elephant looked like.

The first blind men touched the elephant leg and reported that it “looked” like a pillar. Continue Reading →

Thank You Universe!

August 3, 2012 Read 26 comments and add your own

Today I feel thankful and want to say, “Thank you Universe!”

Recently my daughter has been intrigued by the song Thank You by Alanis Morrisette. She asked me line by line what the lyrics meant Why India? What’s frailty?…

Continue Reading →

A Good Question is An Invitation

July 9, 2012 Read 39 comments and add your own

questions help healQuestions help heal

When my son was little, he and I were driving in the car one day and as I was looking both ways to make a safe left hand turn, he asked me, “What are cheeks for?”

I was probably into some fantasy in my head and concentrating on my driving so I did not answer him that second.

Almost immediately, he asked more adamantly, “Mommy! What are cheeks for?” My mind was blank, I had pulled myself away from my thoughts and I was moving towards his words. It was forming in my mind what he was saying: cheeks…what? Continue Reading →

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