I love to help people. I always have ideas I like to share with people when the express something I know I have just what they need. But I am realizing that sometimes they need me to just shut up and listen really paying attention. Have you ever been in a situation where there was […]
Read MoreSharon and I shared a similar experience in that we moved with our husbands to Maui only to have them die not long after we arrived. While Maui is beautiful, it is one of the most isolated places in the world to live. So both of us discovered ways to meet people and get involved […]
Read MoreWe hold on so tight to our beliefs and our possessions, yet sometimes holding on actually builds resistance in a way that prevents forward movement. Can you think of a way that holding on is affecting you? Ron and I had a home in Ventura, California. We were a mile from the beach, we could […]
Read MoreEverybody is creative. Think about that. What do you create? What do you want to create? I’ve spent my life creating things without really thinking about it. I’ve created a family (with help from my family members of course!) I’ve created the books I’ve written. I’ve created groups to learn new things. I’ve created costume, […]
Read MoreWhen dealing with loss, we often find ourselves sitting alone. In this space, it is easy to start slipping down into sadness, missing the one we lost. If I start to arrive at that spot, there are a couple of things I may do. First, in the silence of sitting alone, meditation can bring you […]
Read MoreWhen I was growing up, I was always doing things to impress my parents, to see if they were watching. Most times they didn’t. After I left home, I would do things to impress my husband to see if he was watching, but generally he wasn’t impressed. Then I started doing things that I could […]
Read MoreI read a short book today named A Pocket Guide to Gratitude by one of our Reclaiming Your Joy After Loss group members, Karen Schaal. It reminded me of my journey with gratitude that I thought I will share with you. Reflecting now, I can see clearly the division in my life from before I […]
Read MoreSeveral months after Ron died, a good friend of ours who was much younger died suddenly. Feeling a deep connection with his wife, I immediately wrote her a letter including everything I could think of that she needed to know at that moment. She had not thought before this at all about what would happen […]
Read MoreI have a strong memory from years ago when I bumped into a colleague at the University. She had recently returned to teaching after her husband died suddenly in the classroom while lecturing. She had a far-away slight smile and few words. I understood her reluctance for casual conversation, but I noticed spots of moisturizer […]
Read MoreWhen I was talking to Saundy the other day, she was expressing her distress about the children being held at the border. She wants to do something, but she feels helpless. I thought about her comments when I heard about the shootings this weekend. What can we do? Are we actually helpless? In situations like […]
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