At my daughter’s high school, the week before Valentine’s Day is dubbed Spread the Love Week. The activities of the week are designed to celebrate love, and not just on a single day. Sharing acts of love over a whole week instead of just a single day is an excellent idea. The focus of the…
Years ago, a friend gave me a card that read, “I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, I could save the world.” With or without princess attire, I’ve never had illusions of saving the world, but damn, if I don’t try to make the world a better place through acts…
On Thursday, as you sit around the dinner table and dish up more food than your appetite calls for, think about applying that mentality another way. Go heavy on the gravy for the day and heavier on the gratitude every day. Thanksgiving is a sentimental holiday that reinforces the idea of gratitude, but gratitude is…
We’re all familiar with the fairytale of “Jack and the Beanstalk.” The expression of being an ostrich with their head in the sand is also well-known. Here’s my own cautionary version of the two. Don’t be Jack, the Giant, or the ostrich. Jack has the advantage of seeing life from above and below the clouds…
In 1930, Watty Piper wrote “The Little Engine That Could.” The most famous line in the book is, “I think I can. I know I can.” Nearly one hundred years later, the lesson of believing in yourself remains the same. The Little Blue Engine never told herself or let anyone else tell her she couldn’t.…
Evergreen forests are home to a variety of pines. These needled trees retain their beautiful shades of green year-round. Their never-changing color makes them appear strong and healthy. Despite growing to soaring heights, pine trees are deceiving in their stature. Their strong branches can support a heavy snow load. But they can easily be uprooted…
Safety instructions offered by flight attendants before take-off are, for the most part, ignored. Their words are heard but not really listened to. The directions are to “Affix your oxygen mask first, before helping others. Even if the mask does not inflate, air is flowing.” Thankfully, most of us haven’t had to heed the warning,…
“The world is round” are the words my husband is most known for saying. More than just a phrase; it’s a way of life for him, one that he has instilled in our family. His statement has nothing to do with the shape of the Earth and everything to do with being generous. He’ll gladly…
Jane and Michael Banks had to take medicine each day. What the medicine was for, I haven’t a clue. It is beside the point. What is important to note is that the children found the taste awful. Their nanny, Mary Poppins, offered them a spoonful of sugar to remedy the situation. Mary’s theory was the…
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…