“Don’t fight the fearful thoughts…Just match each one with an affirmative thought that brings you more peace.” Martha Beck I was at a friend’s home; newly built with breathtaking water views in every direction.  I was focused on all the beauty.  Until, that is, I started to catch a theme as she was giving us…

“…find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all.” Robert Lewis Stevenson How do you find meaning in the Holiday Season? I’m exploring this question as Part III of my reflections on seeking a deeper meaning in this Holiday Season.  I’m using…

How do you find meaning in the Holiday Season? This is Part II of my search to celebrate and find meaning in this Holiday Season.  Last week I reflected on Hope.  This week I’m focusing on Faith. What Faith means to me. When I think of Faith, it brings me back to one of my…

How do you find meaning in the Holiday Season? Part of my desire to celebrate and find meaning this holiday season is to reflect on the deeper feelings of the season.  I’ve decided to be purposeful about planning time to reflect on what this time of year means to me. We have so many symbols,…

“The greatest gift of all would be patience and understanding in such a chaotic and stressful time for us.”  Savanna Smith The holiday season is upon us.  All around we see and hear messages of holiday cheer.  The commercials, the greeting cards, and of course, my favorite, the Hallmark Channel, with its 24/7 stories of…

I recently read an announcement of a young man’s passing after a serious illness. Part of it read, “His morals and convictions were unshakable and [he] was a true man of his word every day.” Wow… I was struck by these words.  I kept repeating; “His morals and convictions were unshakable.  A true man of…

“You don’t have anything to give that you don’t have so you have to keep your own self full.” This quote from Oprah Winfrey has stuck with me ever since I heard her speak it.  Intellectually it made sense.  I got it.  I thought, “Yup, I have a lot to give and do so without…

This summer my brother and sister in law bought a small power boat.  They thought getting a boat would teach my teenage nephew responsibility.  I got to go on the “maiden voyage”!  It was exciting to see my nephew go from riding his scooter as a toddler to navigating a boat. There was adventure and a…

“I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self.  Why was that so very difficult?”  Hermann Hesse As a child did you hear a calling, a whisper that held the promise of who you would become? You may not have had the words to articulate that…