parenting
Looking for Change
“The only people who get upset about you setting boundaries are the ones who were benefiting from you having none.” ~Unknown Amanda was 36. Casey was 25. Both women died at the hands of their husbands in my no longer small town in the month of May. You can say what you will about what […]
Read MoreHonoring Grief
“There are no quick fixes to grief. No easy answers. Every expression of grief that wants to be felt and honored and given its space must be allowed, in order to heal.” ― Tom Zuba It is about this time of year that my emotions seem to be on high alert. We have Mother’s Day, […]
Read MoreTime to Speak
“Shame derives its power from being unspeakable.” ― Brené Brown, Daring Greatly “Why am I afraid to tell you who I am? I am afraid to tell you who I am, because if I tell you who I am, you may not like who I am, and it’s all that I have.” John Joseph Powell My Aunt […]
Read MoreCome into the Light
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” ― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice The light in my aunt’s apartment seemed really dim, and with her extreme vision issues, it was especially a problem. In the lightbulb area at the store, we looked at all the different […]
Read MoreSlow Down
“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” ~Socrates If I weren’t a bird watcher, I might have easily been convinced that someone was hammering on our house. It turned out, however, there was hammering, but it was on the neighbor’s house. There was no treat awaiting the Red-Bellied Woodpecker who hammered away on the edge […]
Read MoreNeed a Hug?
“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh My alarm was set for 30 minutes before my check-in time, and I sat with the browser page open so I wouldn’t be late. While I waited, I started reading a book. It was really interesting. It was so interesting that when I checked to see how […]
Read MoreLooking for Unexpected Beauty
“No object is so ugly that, under certain conditions of light and shade, or proximity to other things, it will not look beautiful; no object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.” – Oscar Wilde Standing in the checkout line at the grocery, the racks full of tabloids seemed to […]
Read MoreMoving Beyond Fear
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie (1867-1934) The hair on the dog’s back ruffled, standing up as if someone had brushed it against the grain. I have a healthy fear of a growling […]
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Thoughts to Encourage
Nothing helps like a good nap…
Birds are Beautiful
A Dog is Faithful…
