Category: Gratitude
-
Presence
An interesting conversation this week with some friends, talking about connection to religion and upbringing and expectations. We all come at this from such very different viewpoints and experiences. I was raised in a family with strong religious practices and well defined standards. I learned them, I understood them and I chose, beginning as a…
-
Hearts and Flowers
My dad was an affectionate father but not someone I would describe as a loving husband or partner. We knew as children, because of what Dad told us, that he hadn’t wanted to get married, that his mother “forced him” to find a wife and make a life. He was 48 or 49 at the…
-
Blessing or Curse?
There is no question that I was a very naive child. Truth be told, I think I was naive well into my adult life and, in some aspects, maybe I still am. When I was a child, I was certain that the people I loved would be with me forever. And while there was loss…
-
Signs
My father was a clothes horse. Even he would not deny that. He was very self conscious, very concerned about how he appeared and how he was perceived and clothes were a part of that. Dad’s clothes were not off the rack either. His suits, his overcoats, were all custom made. In fact, as a…
-
Saying It
We are, as we all well know, products of our upbringing, both a reflection of the time in which we were born and the family that we were born into. In my family, there were clear expectations about how to behave and how to express feelings. While I confess that I was very skilled at…
-
Snow Day
It’s snowing. This is day two of watching big, fat flakes drifting down. The roads are not great and the prediction is for a “dump” of a few more inches before the day is through. And, it’s a day when I don’t have any commitments, a circumstance that is both rare and even a little…
-
Serendipity
Years ago, when I worked as a director in a hospital, responsible for marketing as well as community outreach, I was invited to join the local Rotary club. Rotary was (and likely still is) a well attended weekly group with a great cross section of community leaders. Rotary members took part in many service projects,…
-
Making Peace
I have a friend who has done a lot of work on her “inner child.” She spends time really thinking about that little girl and trying to address some of the issues of her life by coming to terms with her past. While I respect her process, I have never really thought about the little…
-
Big Things and Little Things
Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. As in any relationship, we have gone through both good times, and challenging times, together. We’ve lived through career transitions and cross country moves. We’ve managed the complexity of a blended family of seven and shared the joy of each of our ten grandchildren. We’ve…
-
Remembering the Why
Tis’ the season, as they say, and, regardless of your faith tradition, many of us are deeply mired in holiday preparations and food and gifts. As a child, I grew up in an observant Jewish home. We honored the Sabbath, my father was both a regular attendee at services and a person who prayed at…
With a Full Heart 