Hey Reader! Every day is a day for love. This week contains THE day of love, according to St. Valentine and card designers at Hallmark. Perhaps celebrating Valentine's Day does cause us to think about love, to express love, to feel love, all the more. If it does, yay. I was blessed to share time this week with the full extension of my nucleus family. What a joy! Four generations all together. It was the first time we have all gathered since the birth of my two great-nephews in August and...
7 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader! Special moments highlighted this past week. I spent a sweet afternoon with my parents which included giving my mother a manicure as she prepared for a special event. It was sweet and joyful for both of us. Her hands are feminine and graceful. As I carefully applied the gel polish I recalled a lifetime of watching her hands sew, knit, paint, play the piano, garden, arrange flowers, dance, teach, type, stir and bake, set tables, design, guide, discipline, caress, love, and age....
8 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader! New Year's Eve! What are your plans to send out the old and bring in the new? My friend Kelly shared these fun Irish New Year traditions: "1) Put some money outside your door before midnight and then right after midnight bring it in and you will be “bringing in money all year” 2) Kind of goes along with 1 - open the door at midnight to let the old year out and the new year in 3) Don’t do laundry on the 1st or you will wash out all the luck, and 4) Don’t take trash out in the 1st...
9 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, This morning when I padded into my dark kitchen to feed the cats, my still half-asleep body skirted around the brass drink cart hugging the wall in the dining room. It was automatic. Intrinsic. I recalled when after I'd rearranged some of the furniture in there for a large gathering, I decided I liked the drink cart there. It was streamlined and complimented the bar cabinet nearby. The only issue was it altered the path from the bedroom to the kitchen. The first morning I shuffled...
9 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Still looking for something creative and/or different to give to your loved ones? Here are a few out-of-the-box things to consider that they can enjoy all year... Gifts that keep on giving. 🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁 Give the gift of Reflection! Notebooks and Journals: for jotting, plotting, and musing. You'll find 15 designs to choose from in my Abundant Creation LLC Amazon store, and if you order this week you'll still get it before Christmas! Great stocking stuffers and last-minute gifts to...
9 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader! Hard to believe it's already 'tis the season.' The whirlwind of holiday-ings has begun. It's also a time for reflection on the year that's almost done, the natural process of assessment: how am I doing? What is there still to do? Then, big questions often appear, about life and meaning. How do you ponder questions that arise? For me, I take pen to paper and hash things out in my journal. Often it takes a larger form worth sharing. Here's one such piece just published in "Better...
10 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader! Tomorrow, November 13, is "World Kindness Day." It's the jubilee, marking the 25th year since the first official World Kindness Day" initiated by an International consortium called the World Kindness Movement. Let's celebrate by making every day world-kindness day. Tomorrow is also my dad's 87th birthday, which is very fitting because my dad is the kindest man I know. He weaves kindness into the fabric of our family and was a living example for my sister and me of how to be kind:...
10 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader! A day of rest, relaxation, and replenishing the mind and soul. It's necessary, isn't it? In the midst of doing just that I stumbled into this movie, fell in love and just had to share. Also, in the vein of replenishing, I'm rereading this piece on Thought Changer: Be Kind to Your Mind As always, would love to hear your thoughts. Quick Share So, to the movie. Romantic comedies are a dime a dozen unless they're done right, with a light hand, a contained timeline, and smart, witty...
11 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader! Happy Halloween Eve! Exploring mysteries is a favorite pastime for many of us: in books, movies, real-life stories, as well as the mysteries of life. The latter I love to examine and dive into often, and my annual birthday post is one where I reflect on what I've hit on over the last year. It inspired this week's piece on Thought Changer: This is Where You Belong As always, would love to hear your thoughts. Quick Word - Words have power. Use them well. This week's word: Liminality...
11 months ago • 4 min read