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“Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater. ”But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.” 
― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet 
Week 22: Don’t forget to write
A story of awakening appears as I reflect on the decisions...

 
May theme: Don't forget 
Week 21:  Don’t forget to laugh 
My mother-in-law Jane was filled with stories of laughter. She would find laughter in the toughest situations of her life and looking back I understand how it saved her. This became my inspiration. To discover ways to recognize the humor in discomfort.  I still giggle at the canoe trip we took in Cook Forest Pennsylvania where...

 
May theme: Don't forget to
Week 20: Don’t forget to dance
I’m going to learn to dance!  I constantly tell myself I will yet have not taken any steps to learn. This is my declaration to change that talk into action and learn a new dance. There are so many ways to learn, with endless videos that give lessons and step by step moves, there is no reason not to try.  My plan is to find a...

 
Week 19: Don’t forget to love
It seems sometimes I get stuck in the hollows of loss, and who could blame me after the death of my son, brother, father, mother, and countless others over the years. But then I remember the love and know that I must get up and move towards it. There is still love after loss, even though at first it is difficult to find. We will all go through hard things, eventually,...

 
May - Don't forget
Week18: Lessons from a mother 
Over the years I have gone through a barrage of emotions as I explore the relationship I shared with my mother. The tragedy is that I understand her more today than I did when she was alive. Battered by guilt I began the work necessary to understand who I have become as I unravel the sorrow of my own life. This journey has helped me nurture...

 
There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery  
~Dante Alighieri  
Week 17: The assault of spring after loss
The brutal winter of 1993 uncovered the harshness of life with the death of my five-year-old son Ryan. The stark and frigid winter mirrored the hollow space, I was in. If any season could describe death, winter would be it.  But when the first hints of spring...

 
 
 
Week 16: Time in nature 
Through the years, during many phases of grief and sadness, the most common piece of advice I was given was to spend more time in nature. Getting outdoors, seemed like such a simple request, and an easy distraction for the mind. So simple, it almost felt patronizing. But using that guidance taught me how the outdoors could shift both my mood and attitude.  
When...

Every single day is a new day to begin again 
Week 15: Begin again
We can always begin again. Every day we are filled with choices, choices that can change the direction of our lives. From the simple changes of no longer using cream in your coffee, to the bigger steps of committing to something new where the possibilities are endless.
I often write about when I quit smoking, because for me,...

"Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you"  ~John C Maxwell
April - Choices 
Week 14: Lessons from new beginnings
Why is it that some goals stick and others we need to begin again and again? For some reason I continue starting over with my goals or setting new goals, only to begin again. I am still trying to understand what is it that helps me stay on track sometimes and...

Week 13: 15 minutes a day
When I seek motivation for change, I need to start small, often the excitement arrives when I set a date to begin. Other days it is in the knowing that I can do anything for 15 minutes or less, if that is where I choose to begin. Even adding a 30 second plank a day as a goal provides direction for change. Like the saying goes, "if nothing changes, nothing changes." Adding...