Gratitude and guilt are emotional enemies. So are joy and jealousy. These emotional enemies make playing the game of life difficult to enjoy. They are competitors of one another. These conflicting feelings show up when people who know each other want the same thing, but only one receives it. Take friends applying for the same…
Traveling is great, and I’m blessed to do a good deal of it, but I always look forward to coming home. Dorothy said it best when she clicked her red ruby slippers together and repeated, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” She was right. The young girl from Kansas was in…
Happy 4th of July! On this day, may our hearts be filled with gratitude for our country and the freedoms we have. May the symbolism of today be a reminder of what this country was designed to be; United & Free. We are the United States of America, not the Divided States of America; let’s…
Patience and acceptance are lessons I thought I’d learned. Life doesn’t seem to agree with me. That or I need more practice. Situations involving both virtues keep entering my life. Accepting what life gives me is easy when I get what I want. When something happens that I don’t desire, patience and acceptance are more…
Sunday is Father’s Day, making it a good day to say thank you. Thank you to all the dads who have done their best without having to be the best. You’re good men who never forget that “Dad” is a title earned, not received. From the start, many of us wanted to be just like…
There is a song from the late 1980s by David Wilcox called “Leave It Like It Is.” https://www.google.com/search?q=leave+it+like+it+is+lyrics&rlzThe song is about a jar of blue paint that falls off a kitchen table and breaks. In the splattered mess, the homeowner sees beauty. Instead of cleaning up the spill, the paint is left to dry. What…
April is National Donate Life Month, and National Pediatric Transplant Week is April 23-29, 2023. Donate Life is the national registry for matching organ, eye, and tissue donors and recipients. The Be The Match organization pairs bone marrow transplant recipients with non-related donors worldwide. As a parent of both a bone marrow transplant recipient and…
Once upon a time, life gave me what most would call a nightmare. At the encouragement of others, I turned the nightmare into a dream and wrote a book about the experience. But what is it called when a dream I’ve never imagined comes true? I can only think a blessing is what you call…
I think it’s safe to say we’re all feeling the holiday hangover. I don’t even mean the overindulgence of cocktails. I’m talking specifically about the emotional and physical toll of the holidays. As exciting as the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is I’m always ready for it to be over. It’s time to…
I’m taking this opportunity to say “Thank You” to you. Thank you for your friendship, support, and love. Every blog enjoyed, page read, or social media post liked is appreciated more than I can express. The enthusiasm I’ve received for my writing has been touching in so many ways. Book reviews and invitations to speak…