change

Appreciating their presence

This was originally posted in December 2014.  Thought it worth sharing for the holidays. “I wear the chain I forged in life….I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.” ― Jacob Marley’s ghost; Charles Dickens, […]

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From Crisis to Success

If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. ~Vincent Van Gogh   It’s one of my favorite toys that only comes out of storage during December because it happens to be red and green.  A red base with green tree trunks […]

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Finishing Well

“A lake is a landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden Finally, the Christmas tree is decorated with small white lights and lots of ornaments that have followed us through many years of life.  The […]

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Life, It is Too Short and It is Too Long

“The value of life is not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them; a man may live long yet very little.” Michel de Montaigne Looking at the picture on my computer monitor, the silly face reminded of how much fun my friend’s son was.  Another picture popped onto the screen, […]

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The Price of Fear

“Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”–Yoda One of the greatest lessons to be learned in life is that we have little control over what goes on in our lives, other than the choices we make for ourselves.  As much as you […]

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Shhh…

The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes – ah, that is where the art resides~Artur Schnabel Shhh.  Do you hear that?  No? Oh, that’s because it’s just silence and the stillness of the moment. Isn’t it beautiful?  No?  It makes you uncomfortable? You want the television or radio […]

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The Future is Ours, and It is Theirs

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” ― Warren Buffett They said it had to be done, and we did it.  Removing those three wonderful trees from the front yard was painful, on the pocketbook and on the heart.  Roots that had been exposed in the eroding […]

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The Simplicity of Enough

“Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy” ― Isaac Newton The clothes pile up on the bed or the chair, waiting to be put back on hangers, but set aside until a choice can be made.  So many shirts, slacks, skirts, blouses, and jackets from which to choose.  Oh, what to wear? […]

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What’s Your Angle?

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be crazy, by those who could not hear the music.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche Growing up in a town with three lakes, I thought every town had lakes and every person knew how to ski.  What a surprise to discover that I was in a minority. Some of […]

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Show Up

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Woody Allen Young parents are often surprised by how quickly life changes when a baby joins the family.  There is a perceived (and somewhat real) loss of freedom, and for a new mother, this is especially true if she is staying home for any length of time.  The laundry piles […]

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Thoughts to Encourage

Joy is the will which labors, which overcomes obstacles, which knows triumph.~ William Butler Yeats

Whether you think you can or think you can’t you’re right. - Henry Ford

The best way out is always through. ~ Robert Frost

Real difficulties can be overcome, it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. ~ Theodore N. Vail

Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall. ~ Oliver Goldsmith

You must be the change you want to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

Nothing helps like a good nap…

Birds are Beautiful

A Dog is Faithful…