Magical Thinking Again…

I am not one of the people who says of my stroke, “why me?” Why not me? I inherited bad physical tendencies from my mother. High blood pressure. High cholesterol. And even some genetic risk factors. Thoughts of her and her stroke at the same age give me an emotional bond with her now. I […]

A Visit with Gratitude

It’s an emotional time but I am through crying. I am still sad about your leave-taking and at the same time I am overcome with gratitude. I am grateful that you are healthy enough to travel. I am grateful that you are able to take the time and resources to visit us. I am grateful […]

Thanksgiving

“Why you be so pi’iful” Gracie, 4 years old As I was working my way through dressing this morning, I was worrying about Facetime. I know I will see all of my family today via electronics. Am I presentable? Suddenly, I found myself crying. I don’t want my grandchildren to think I’m pitiful. In the […]

Pema, mi Maestra

“In the morning when you wake up, you reflect on the day ahead and aspire to use it to keep a wide open heart and mind. At the end of the day, before you go to sleep, you think over what you have done. If you fulfill your aspiration, even once, rejoice in that. If […]

Gratitude – The Practice

Grat.i.tude ( a noun) The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness A feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received To recognize that the sources of goodness are outside of ourselves. An emotion expressing appreciation for what one has         Dear Children and Grandchildren, It […]

Expectations and Relationships

“What are expectations but premeditated disappointments?” Rod Stryker Let’s go back to expectations, shall we? Is it impossible to live without expectation? If we are really living the in present moment…does that mean we have left expectations behind? It’s a puzzle to me. Frequently I obsess about this since a conversation with my son almost […]

The Lucky One

There can be a philosophical difference in how we view our lives and our fortunes. Some see themselves as self-made. I firmly believe that I owe a debt of gratitude for my fortunate birth. And how I acknowledge that debt matters to me. Of course, in order to be where I am today, I have […]

Measuring Up

I love a purpose. I want to feel as if what I do makes a difference. That said…sometimes it’s difficult not to be intimidated by the accomplishments of others. I forget that smiling at someone on the street may be the most important thing I do in a day. Or fixing a healthy meal for […]

The Heart of a Soldier

To Every Soldier, Because my life has not included personal experience with war, I can’t pretend to comprehend the effects. Still, I am grateful. My gratitude perches precariously upon a constant ache for the men and women who have done battle and whose deepest wounds may not be visible to the world. The physical losses, […]

Gratitude and Joy

Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy.  Meredith Grey But I think it does. My son and I were discussing joy yesterday. How do we put joy in our life? How do we identify what gives us joy? One way, I think, is by presence in a moment of our lives and having gratitude […]