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"It's not JOY that makes us grateful, it is GRATITUDE that makes us joyful."
Week three (July 10 - July 16)
My life is far from perfect; many bumps along this road have steered me off course. Some arrived from the choices I have made and others from events beyond my control, all of them lessons to demonstrate the capacity of gratitude.
Losing Ryan so young illustrated concerns many will...

"Gratitude changes the lens with which we view the world"
Week two (July 3-July 9)
During the hard stuff I often want to flee. Escape was the only message my brain sent in the "fight or flight" scenario, launching a scurry to remove the pain by creating a habit of avoidance and sabotaging my authenticity. And then over time the occasional glass of wine sprouted into a comfortable routine which...

"A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles"
Week one challenge: Why start this challenge?
A mindful practice to create a new perspectiveDiscover joy Noticing giftsPausing to observeAuthentic spirit 
Week One (June 26-July 2)
Waking early promotes possibility as I cultivate time for work and the space for play, this slow dance of balance with the ebb and flow of growth delivers the promise of...

52 weeks of gratitude
A gift to myself for my 52nd birthday...
When joy enters my life it is closely followed by fear, the fear of something negative lurking around the corner. I often recall the day I joyfully spoke to my mother in law of the happiness I felt after celebrating a wonderful holiday with my husband and two children, a time where my heart was filled with gratitude. But within weeks...

 “I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.”
—Khaled Hosseini    
The words trickle out like tear drops drenching the page as my reasoning collides. The guilt baptizes me in this steady torrent of emotions while I examine the connection of heart...

As we travel down this uncharted path of dementia I unpack the stories that fill our days, each detail lingering in a frightening aspect to the life we are struggling to comprehend.  With a fitful personality and the unending mood swings I witness her competence vanishing rapidly before me.
Approaching the next phase in this journey and transition to the nursing home has increased her fear precipitously...

There are days when life feels like it is falling apart, all the pieces I once recognized are slipping through my fingers like the sand at the beach. So many things that were once familiar fade into the distance as I search for something recognizable.
The simple truth that life is not fair I know all too well.  The loss that has occurred in our family alone triples many of those who surround us and...

The Discovery of Wings
She did not want to be exposed, always hidden in the distance, doing her best to disappear into the scene. Her strategy was simple; she needed to unravel what remained before she would reveal herself to others, prolonging this unearthing as she lingered veiled amidst the crowds.
Life had untied her neatly wrapped bows with a sequence of heartaches, extinguishing any desire...

The red glow of the sun filters the sky, reminding me of the promise in a new day; attempting to appreciate the beauty while trapped in sadness I begin to let go by untangling the positive, discarding resentments, and discovering life in the present. And just like that, time passes; the red sky has faded to a soft blue, transformation occurring as our lives unfold in a heartbeat.
The three of us...

Remembering Ryan
12/07/87 ~ 2/23/93
 
Beautifully broken
Searching for validation, she set forth on a journey to fill the blank spaces cast upon her, emptiness engraved on her soul carrying the pain unleashed from loss; death stole another slice of her heart and soon the fragments she battled to preserve are scattered debris encircling her.
Seeking a powerful concoction to mend the heartbreak...