39 ways to have a Beautiful Life…in celebration of my 39th birthday. 1. Breathe. Inhale fresh air from the great outdoors. Stop to smell the tree blossoms, pick a daisy, watch a bird in flight. Stay in the moment, slowing down enough to enjoy the simple things in life. 2. Jump. Jump on a trampoline, …
Love. It is the one thing life must be characterized by. But at times, the hardest thing to give. The most difficult offering to bring forward when we’ve been wronged. When we are wounded and hurting and desperate for justice. We say we love. But do we truly love…everyone? I know I have a long …
Post-Mother’s Day 2013 (survived!). And so here I am reflecting now, on a few of my favorite things. Mothers and holidays and good old-fashioned truth-telling. Blog style. And I got to thinking about motherhood. About the mothers I know and love, and about how each special mother, from those who are steady and patient to …
Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Let me hear a whoop-whoop from the peanut gallery. Ah, Mother’s Day! A day of great expectations and high aspirations. Look it. Here’s my unbiased advice for surviving the day. Let’s just all take a b-iiii-gggg breath. And then, let us exhale in unison. Now. Let us release all those fuzzy, …
Hey! Welcome all!!! Glad you are here…at this time and at this place. With me. Sharing my writing and this space called Pursuit of a Joyful Life! I am humbled by your presence. A few words about my writing, my blog and the name of this group. I named my blog “Pursuit of a Joyful …
It’s okay to rue the day you’ve just lived. And thank your lucky stars that it is over. We know you are still the greatest, Mom. And it is also okay if there is not one moment of that day in which you lived completely and joyfully in the moment. Or one moment wherein you …
I am suppose to write a blog piece for the Huffington Post about motherhood (for their special upcoming Mother’s Day issue in another week). And I have no idea what to write. I am a loss. There are no pearls of wisdom, no gems of gold from which others can glean sage advice. No nothing. …
Okay. Whatever. I am just going to throw in the towel and join the circus. Add to the usual chaos that follows me from home to school to wherever I go, you can add to that list: Dream Crasher. ‘Cause there is one lil’ gal in West Prince who no longer believes in the tooth …
We six walk through the mist, feel wetness on our faces. I shiver in the night air, anticipating the heat of our van. The time and temperature has shifted from sun-kissed evening warmth to damp and foggy dusk . Nearing the last lap, we come into a clearing. And it is then I hear her …
When tragedy strikes and disaster hits. And when calamity occurs and life is lost. When that life is a child’s life- a precious son or daughter’s life. A mother’s life, a wife’s life, a sister’s life. Or worse: when that loss is a family’s life, it is so pervasive and deadly in its scope. So …
There are times when I scrutinize the reflection I see in the mirror. And I don’t like what I see the majority of the time. Is that surprising, really? We are our own worst critics, and when we look in the mirror, what are we usually looking for? Flaws. Imperfections. Areas needing improvement. The other …
So, here’s where the rubber meets the road. Yesterday, I wrote about seeing the best in people. And I love doing that in my role as teacher, friend, colleague, volunteer. But probably the hardest place for me to practice seeing the best in people is when it comes to family. Because let’s face it, family …