Category: relationships
-
Crossing the Bridge
I’ve got to say that I have never been a fan of the expression “crossing the rainbow bridge” when it comes to describing the end of a beloved pet’s life. There is something about it that just feels too much, like an unwanted and insincere pat on the head. As with people that we love,…
-
Serendipity
Year ago, working in a large community hospital, I was invited to join the local Rotary Club. It was the right thing to do professionally and I enjoyed getting to know a great group of people committed to an agenda of good works. I was asked, sometime early in my membership, to introduce myself to…
-
Inner Voices
Many of us, if not most of us, play tapes of the voices from moments in our past in our heads. These are not the “you can do it, you got this” messages, these are not the “wow, you are so good at this” voices. They are the voices that question and criticize and erode…
-
Finding Enough
When I teach yoga, as many yoga teachers do, I start with a theme for our practice and I end with a few minutes of guided meditation as my students relax into their final savasana. Given the fact that I primarily teach older adults in either a long term care or assisted living setting, my…
-
Forgiveness
If you asked me, I would tell you that I am a person who believes strongly in forgiveness, that we have to have understanding and we have to let go of things. But, when I take a long, hard look inside, I know that’s not entirely true. And that may be an understatement. I certainly…
-
Filling the Space
How often I say the words “life changes in the space between one heartbeat and the next.” Many, if not all of us, have learned the truth of those words. We learn that truth in pain, in grief, in trauma. We struggle to accept the reality of loss, battling between our rational mind that knows…
-
Light somewhere
Someone asked me yesterday what I was like as a child. Was I petulant, rebellious, compliant? What words would I use to describe myself? It was a question that I both felt I should be able to answer instantly and one that I really had to think about for a moment. How would I describe…
-
Finding Fierce
We had the gift of a vacation for the last week. Not just the “at home” vacation that we often have that finds me with more projects than time and not the “visit the kids” vacation which is always a busy whirlwind and never long enough. Nope, this was a real vacation away from our…
-
Carrying On
After my brother died, in what can only be described as a tragic, and senseless, accident, my grief knew no bounds. I functioned but I know that I was a shadow of myself for a long time. We had the gift of being the best of friends in addition to being siblings and we had…
-
The Limits of Invincibility
I am the first to say that I have been blessed in many ways in my life. Family, friends, opportunities, work that matters—I am grateful every day. I am also grateful always for health and, I must confess, have the incredible gift of being able to take mine for granted. I do take care of…
With a Full Heart 