parenting

An Abandoned Life

I like to think the abandoned house is happy, burden-free, collapsing into itself like a body that has had enough of living and is ready to let go, to relinquish its heart to any weather, thankful to be at home in nature.  The Beauty of Abandonment~Jane Ellen Glasser There are some really neglectful parents out […]

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Whose Life are you Living?

“The world is full of people who have stopped listening to themselves or have listened only to their neighbors to learn what they ought to do, how they ought to behave, and what the values are they should be living for.” ~Joseph Campbell Exhausted from the activities of holidays, many of us come to January […]

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Lessons in Music

“time wasted is not always a waste of time.” ― Terri Blackstock, Seaside Sitting with the younger gentleman, she wore a beautiful smile. Pulling her binoculars from her bag, she explained that the field glasses would help her to clearly see the man on stage. The younger man smiled as she explained that he was […]

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Beneath a Tattered Coat

“Do not judge by appearances; a rich heart may be under a poor coat.” ~Scottish Proverb Waking up in a hospital bed after having been in a coma, Whitney Cerak’s parents discovered that the daughter they thought they had buried was alive. It was a case of mistaken identity.  There are many cases throughout history of […]

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Change Your Playground to Change Your Life

“My friends are all proud of me, but they’re all addicts and I can’t be around them or I’ll start using.” ~Matt Langley The sentence played over and over in my mind. Matt Langley is a young man in high school. He had gotten hooked on Xanax. For six months, he used a pill to […]

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Listen and Learn

“Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation.” ― Mark Twain In words that might have sounded something like grunts had he been speaking, the young man’s text was barely decipherable as the English language goes. Seeing a young lady in person after having communicated […]

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Use Your Brain

“A new challenge keeps the brain kicking and the heart ticking.” ― E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly What was it you were going to say? Why did you call me? Does it happen to you, too? It was just on the tip of your tongue, so where did it go? If you’re worried that […]

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What You See and What You Get

“Those who go beneath the surface, do so at their peril.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray   People were drinking coffee, having conversations, and looking busy. Some were dressed as if they were going to church, while others looked as if they had just rolled out of bed. That’s how a coffee […]

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Lifeline

“For those living in a dark cave… sometimes all it takes is for someone to throw us a lifeline.” ~Martin R. Lemieux Thank goodness for Google Maps. There are times we wouldn’t find our way if not for that wise little voice. Often, a notification will pop up alerting the driver that there is an […]

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Achieving Success…More than Eating Bonbons

“If you want to be a good writer, you are not going to become one by always going to the movies and eating bonbons. You have to sit down and write, which can be frustrating, and yet without that you would not get that good result.” ~Archbishop Desmond Tutu Few, if any, of the most […]

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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…