“There are good ships and wood ships, ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, may they always be!” — Irish Proverb So, I’ve been going to therapy for nearly a year. One of several ways I've tried to deal with my mother’s death. I’m not going to talk about any of… Continue reading Ideal Chit-Chat
The smell of moist earth and lilacs hung in the air like wisps of the past and hints of the future. (Margaret Millar) Ahhhhhhh…the melodious scent of lilacs is practically enough to put me into a trance. I can’t really think of another more distinctly memorable essence with such direct links to my childhood.… Continue reading “Sweet Dreams, Lilac”
Practice Compassion for All Beings; (Including Yourself) I don't get crazy-upset very often, at least not in public. But quite honestly I don't often have reason to? I am not very aggressive, unless it's called for; as in taking a chance to get ahead or through, like when I have to drive on a busy,… Continue reading Practice Compassion for All Beings; (Including Yourself)
It has become somewhat painfully apparent that time truly stands still for no one. I had recommended that it slow down. It did not comply. I must accept that life goes on and things change, of course. Yet although it's incredibly exciting, it’s also overwhelming some days. And it's not that I'm in the twilight… Continue reading Reflectionology
Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. – Emily Brontë It’s in the little moments. It truly is. And in the scheme of things...these are but a few snippets. “Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years, but of moments. You must experience each one… Continue reading Snippets & Moments
... I hear you laugh, my heart fills full up ♫♪♪♫♪ Sisters share the scent and smells – the feel of a common childhood. — Pam Brown Our Family Tree: So, my sister is about to celebrate a milestone birthday this week, and I wish that I could be there to celebrate her big day!… Continue reading You Were There with Me, Sister
Valentine’s Blog Disclaimer: Although I personally am pro-Valentine’s Day & this post is pro-romance, I don’t subscribe to the pressures put onto us about Feb 14th, and sadly I can understand why some people have come to resent, avoid & scorn it… The rose is red, the violet's blue, The honey's sweet, and so are… Continue reading Maybe We Can Make This Last a Lifetime
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go. — Dr. Seuss Our youngest got his first college acceptance letter – well let… Continue reading Stand Upright and Be Strong
Recently it occurred to me that I too often am not living my life in a very Zen-like way. I hear my inner voice, or my inner critic, chastising me, “That’s not very Zen-like”, it admonishes, but the thing is: I want to be more Zen-like. I want to be more tolerant, more at peace,… Continue reading Everything Zen…I Don’t Think So
My life has spanned the Seventies, the Eighties, the Nineties, Y2K to today. At different times I’ve measured it in different ways; chronologically, in milestones, the "no kids-kids at home-grown kids" years, where I lived, from elementary school to college, before and after marriage, etcetera. This is a first though, measuring it, and I use… Continue reading Let’s Go to the Movies, Annie
I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song. I’m twenty-two now but I won’t be for long Time hurries on. – Paul Simon Dear Twenty-Year-Old Me, You’re two decades into a great life. You’re fortunate; you were born into a loving family. You've had a pretty normal and happy upbringing. You've enjoyed a great… Continue reading The Leaves that are Green Turn to Brown
What makes a fictional character memorable? Or relatable? As a devoted-and-proud diehard fan of the television show Gilmore Girls, it was with great sadness that I took the news of the wonderful character actor and Tony winning Stage aficionado, Edward Herrmann’s passing on New Year’s Eve 2014. He had portrayed the family patriarch Richard Gilmore… Continue reading All You Have to do is Call My Name
It’s almost 2015, tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. I’ve started to notice articles about resolutions online and also shared on Facebook. And I feel that old familiar pull to better myself. Technically, it's really no different than any other day, but beginning a new year can seem like and feel like, at least in our… Continue reading It Seems Like, Yes it Feels Like a Brand New Day
To recap: It begs the question, have you ever wondered just how much the Universe is capable of conspiring to make something happen…to make something come true? To bring two people together… Part Four continued the story of a girl, and her journey to happiness. She’ll again be typed in this color and she’ll be known simply as the girl. As… Continue reading The Story of a Girl (Part Five)
To recap: It begs the question, have you ever wondered just how much the Universe is capable of conspiring to make something happen…to make something come true? To bring two people together… Part Three continued the story of a girl, and her journey to happiness. She’ll again be typed in this color and she’ll be known simply as the girl.… Continue reading The Story of a Girl (Part Four)
To recap: It begs the question, have you ever wondered just how much the Universe is capable of conspiring to make something happen…to make something come true? To bring two people together… Part Two continued the story of a girl, and her journey to happiness. She’ll again be typed in this color and she’ll be known simply as the girl. As… Continue reading The Story of a Girl (Part Three)
To recap: It begs the question, have you ever wondered just how much the Universe is capable of conspiring to make something happen…to make something come true? To bring two people together… Part One began the story of a girl, and her journey to happiness. She’ll again be typed in this color and she’ll be… Continue reading The Story of a Girl (Part Two)
Have you ever wondered just how much the Universe is capable of conspiring to make something happen…to make something come true? To bring two people together… When you’re chalking things up to the Universe, do you include the good, bad and everything in between? Must you? Do you need to experience the bad, to get… Continue reading The Story of a Girl (Part One)
To spend the rest of our lives With each other The rest of our days Like two lovers Forever yeah, forever… But how does this happen? How does a relationship evolve into a marriage that withstands the tests of time and seems, to anyone observing it, to have been destiny? I’m certain of only one… Continue reading You & Me We Are Destined You’ll Agree
How well does anybody know anybody? What's TMI***? There is definitely such a thing! Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know. – Daniel J. Boorstin I've shied away from writing here in what I've come to see as the dreaded (by some) listicle form. Listicle: a listicle is a short-form of writing that uses… Continue reading You Don’t Know Me
If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life. – Abraham Maslow I find this quote to be potentially quite deceptive, depending on how it’s perceived. It spoke to me in such a positive light when I first read it,… Continue reading Someone Told Me Not to Cry
When certain words stay with us it's natural and easy to wonder or question why? What about them rang so true, hit so close to home, touched us so deeply? Hi there! I'm currently at work on a piece, a follow-up to last week's piece on happiness....on unhappiness. And also a one or two… Continue reading Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered am I
…And you will be happy, too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fznw-AGoENo Preface Sometimes I chalk energy and having lots of it, up to things like; adrenalin, a good night’s sleep, cardio, eating lots of nutrient-rich foods, spending time outdoors in the sunshine…because they are all proven. But happiness can bring energy up, and conversely unhappiness can bring energy… Continue reading Make Just One Someone Happy
…won't you carry it in? In your head, in your mouth, in your soul. Do you ever feel like that? It’s been my experience that people tend to belong in one of two camps; Mountains or Beach. However, I’ve met lovers of both. There are certainly many reasons to love both. It may directly… Continue reading The Ocean Breathes Salty
...Who said that every wish, Would be heard and answered, When wished on the morning star — Kermit the Frog Ah, making a wish. I've always been a big believer in the power of wishing! I guess you could call it the power of positive thinking, if that’s not trademarked? I also practice attributing… Continue reading Every Wish
Someone asked me how it feels having become the mother of a twenty-three year old today. How does it feel? Let’s see…it feels weird. I remember being twenty-three myself and it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. So it also reminds me about my own aging, of course. That does, and my knees… Continue reading May Good Luck Go With You, And Happiness Too
What if your life changed in a mere second? Or in just a few precious minutes? What if much of the life you knew was gone? How would you look at yourself? Would you blame someone or something? Would you blame yourself? Would you hide from the world? Would you hate yourself? Would you hate… Continue reading I’ve Got Some Questions
As parents, one of our main goals is, [among the many, many goals], to keep our children safe. To raise and take care of them from before they’re born, until they are full-grown and thriving. Fresh in my mind are the journeys of three different sets of parents [all are people I do not… Continue reading It Seems Night Endlessly Begins & Ends
Being in high school in 1988 meant, yep, I was an 80's Girl! I believe this photo says it all? Not the Punk Eighties, the later years, closing in on the Nineties by this time...but still Eighties. Before deciding to blog about it, I was just visually dissecting it. How many things can I find… Continue reading …An 80’s Girl
Sunday was ‘National Grandparents Day’. The general public may or may not be aware of this. I can’t honestly say that I remember it every year, or even most years, and I’m fairly certain I only ever knew about it at all because of a few teachers who had their class celebrate it when… Continue reading I Can Smile at the Old Days
Don't let your life pass you by…Weep not for the memories… I have been remiss; I missed posting a blog last Tuesday, and believe me I felt kind of awful about it. I didn’t forget, not at all, but as I mentioned I’ve been traveling and spending as much time with family as possible. And,… Continue reading I Will Remember You, Will You Remember Me?
Writers!!! Check this out (& please share): My dazzling friend, author Katrina Kittle, is venturing into something new and offering her first ever online class (on character development)! Katrina Kittle's online class"The Fiction Writer's Toolbox: Character" is scheduled for Thursday, July 10 from 7-8pm EST. It's just $20! A class on dialogue is scheduled for… Continue reading Katrina Kittle’s online class”The Fiction Writer’s Toolbox: Character”
A Stroke of Good Fortune 