10-Year Itch

OMG – I just finished listening to Marie Forleo’s interview with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love. In the interview, Gilbert is talking about Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. As a writer, I want to steal so many of her lines, but as a human being with a past littered with […]

Sunset of Life

Time is such an odd commodity. Some moments seem like days, and some years seem like moments. Without a doubt, my heart is tender right now with the passing of so many of late.  This morning, I posted a controversial commercial on Facebook about an elder man who faked his death to get […]

Finding Gratitude in Help from the Other Side

“It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.” This Thanksgiving I am aware of so many families finding gratitude amidst deep emotions: emotions related to loved ones having passed on since last year at this time. For some of us, the transition has been quite recent. Just yesterday, our […]

Terrorist Attacks and Tonglen

The worst terroristattack on a Western city since 9/11 unfolded in France on Friday, leaving the nation in a state of near-martial law.

This text message exchange with a dear friend:

K: Are you watching the news of Paris?

D: No, I just walked in the door […]

Phenomenal Retreat

Regular readers of this blog are not unfamiliar with my practice of going on silent meditation retreats, as I was blessed to do October 27-November 1. What a perfect timing for a much needed renewal on the heels of the transition of my mother-in-law on October 4, followed by the preparation for and […]

Musings from an Estate Sale

It is almost incomprehensible that three weeks ago today mom was with us. She was having a rough day, but lovely moments of connection amidst the breathing challenges. Now, what had been her worldly belongings have been given new life.  The items had been displayed with care, and the lights were on when […]

Sufficient Warning

Sharing with a friend about the huge task of sorting, cleaning, organizing, and preparing my mother-in-law’s home full of personal belongings following her passing from this life, his response was, “I would hope I would have sufficient warning to take care of things.”  I understand his hope, but I also think it is […]

Legacy

Was I being intuitively guided when I purchased a ten-pound-spiral-cut ham on Saturday afternoon? All I knew in consciousness was that she said she was hungry for my ham and broccoli quiche. Little did I know that ham (and the quiche) would be used to provide nourishment for my brothers- and sisters-in-law over […]

Ginny’s Character

Character  is who you are when nobody is looking…. Virginia “Ginny” Grove, with son, Sean.

The Celebration of Life ceremony for Virginia “Ginny” Grove was held on Saturday, September 26, 2015. Knowing how deeply Ginny felt about Native American spirituality, I wondered how well that might be honored in a service officiated by […]

Be the Change

Sometimes awkward experiences yield valuable insights. That certainly was the case when a young woman (upset about her older brother’s attitude toward her) blurted out, “He does not deserve my kindness!” My response may have not meant much to this young woman at the moment, but it meant the world to me. I […]