Shortly after my mom died, I drove to see a friend who was in town visiting from New York City. We met for lunch at a restaurant, and on the way home I unconsciously drove through a red light. Thankfully, no other cars were around. A few weeks later, I went through a...
Hello Friend, As someone who has become a grief educator, it serves to talk about grief, about sorrow and loss. Two reasons come quickly to mind. First, our culture at-large can then begin to understand the many colors of sorrow and loss without sweeping it under the...
Time is such an elusive monster. I say monster because of the way it dominates our lives with clocks, watches, meetings, appointments … I’m already exhausted just writing that out. How often do you think or hear someone say, “I don’t have the...
Taking breaks and time-outs from your work is essential to your health, essential to your feeling good, and relaxed and successful as you move through your days. Instead of the daily grind and rat race many people find themselves in, how do you stop and rest in the...
We are in bodies and bodies need to rest – even if we don’t think we do! What happens when you don’t rest? What are the physical benefits of resting? And what kind of breathing is good for your heart? Learn why rest is essential to your physical...
This was written in early January of 2020 It’s the small things that help me. Tonight at the local grocery store, outside, eating under the stars is one of their workers* on break, a young man who is also autistic. He’s very open about his autism. He’s sweet and kind...
I live in what people call a predominantly “red” state, and I just returned from visiting another predominantly “red” state, staying at the home of a man with Trump signs in his yard. I am a Biden supporter. I don’t own a gun or any weapons. I don’t stock food and...
When someone we know in the news, an entertainment celebrity, a sports figure, fashion or music takes their own life, it can send shock waves through our fragile systems, and shock waves through the world. We have been touched by their lives and sometimes feel...
My mom, Cathy, was a great rester and is the inspiration behind REST. She started meditating for an hour a day when I was a young girl. As a teenager, I joined her in meditation, which became a lifelong practice. But beyond meditation, my mom knew how to go into a...
Companioning Philosophy Dr. Wolfelt’s 11 Tenets of Caring for the Bereaved by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D. www.center-for loss, com Companioning the bereaved is not about assessing, analyzing, fixing or resolving another’s grief. Instead, it is about being...
If life is a movie, Wednesday afternoon at 3 PM must have been the scene where one is called home. I took my mom to the doctor’s office. It was nothing serious. JG, our trusty caregiving friend, came with us. The first good chair in the doctor’s reception area sits...
You are seen. Everything is seen No judge here Simply seen. People in your world wrapped up in judgment I do not judge I love I love you into love I love you into love beyond the highest hills and mountaintops I love you into love beyond the greatest ocean depths I...
You were a warrior when young Then the world crouched in and a worrier you became And then you stood up and the world crouched out And Riser you became Regardless of the world, regardless of naysayers, of unconscious ones A Rise you became Rise I rise Rising like the...
I thought I was helping a friend over the phone when he interrupted me abruptly. I didn’t mind the interruption. I didn’t mind the abruptness. But the tone of voice was harsh, almost angry, and definitely impatient – and I felt hurt. My solar plexus hurt. I did the...
I hesitated to post this piece because increasing the polarity is not my intention, but there is a lot of frustration and sadness and wonder of why we don’t have sane gun control measures in this country is. My greater need is to understand. Understand why...
If you are inclined to get on Creative Compassion, formerly The Story Circle, and receive meditations, stories and art, please sign up today. Access to a 15-minute video meditation towards the end of this post is available to you. It was created to help you...
This was first written twenty years ago after my dad passed on This March 29th is the anniversary Peace unto you and yours, wherever you or they may be Honoring Trees and Loved Ones To become comfort unto ourselves There is nothing else but us We are all here Those in...
This past holiday season, I walked into a store and listening to their holiday jazzy songs piped over their sound system, I waited for the clerk to help me. Waiting half-an-hour, the energy drained from my body. I craved to do nothing for a long time. Nothing. It...
