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Imagine a World…

My weekly project last week was tackling one of the shelves in my office closet – the one that holds, among other things, notebooks, binders, and workbooks from some of the many classes I’ve taken over the years. Most of them have to do with writing or professional speaking, and I haven’t really looked at them in a long time. In a way, going through them was like looking at old scrapbooks or photo albums. In another way, it was a bit like looking in [...]

By |March 6th, 2020|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Buried Treasure, Columns, Making a Difference, Quotes and Sayings, Respect, Values|Comments Off on Imagine a World…

The Power of the Pod

I was surprised – honored, but surprised – when a friend and former coaching client contacted me recently and asked if she could interview me for her podcast. I felt honored, because my friend is amazingly accomplished. She has a PhD and is an ordained minister. She is certified in several areas of healing arts, and has a thriving business helping and teaching others to live an authentic, happy, purposeful life. She has published a book, developed a spiritual growth app, and produced dozens of [...]

By |April 6th, 2019|Buried Treasure, Coaching, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Health and Well-being, Making a Difference, Values, Writing|Comments Off on The Power of the Pod

Birthday Reflections through the Years

Spoiler alert: Today’s blog is one of the Stroll-Down-Memory-Lane ones that evokes the song, “Sunrise, Sunset,” from Fiddler on the Roof. It has to do with milestone birthdays. Like 13, when you become a teenager, and 20, when you stop being one. Like 16, when you can get your driver’s license, and 21, when you’re officially and legally an adult. And then, before you know it, you start getting mail from AARP and Senior Living facilities, and all of a sudden your Medicare card comes [...]

By |June 29th, 2018|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Buried Treasure, Coaching, Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Uganda, Writing|Comments Off on Birthday Reflections through the Years

A final column bids a fond farewell

I’m not thinking of this as goodbye, just as a change of venue. Still, it’s a strange feeling to be writing my final column for the Chanhassen Villager. This weekend is when my husband and I pack up for good and leave for our new home in Georgia. I plan to continue writing even after we move, I’m just not sure what that’s going to look or feel like in the days and weeks to come. It’s been exactly 16 years since my first Villager [...]

By |March 3rd, 2017|Buried Treasure, Columns, Family, Making a Difference, Quotes and Sayings, Values, Writing|Comments Off on A final column bids a fond farewell

It’s party time! And you’re invited.

A friend of mine, who’s also a long-time reader of my column, asked me a while ago if there were any send-off events in the works as I prepare to move out-of-state. If there weren’t, she said she’d love to help organize one. I hadn’t thought about anything like that, but I was trying to plan a book launch party to celebrate the book I recently published, which includes a number of the columns I’ve written over the years. I’ve been to several book launches, [...]

By |February 17th, 2017|Buried Treasure, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Writing|Comments Off on It’s party time! And you’re invited.

Forever friends are always close by

“You’ll always be my friend… You know too much.” That was the saying embroidered on the quilt I gave to a close friend of mine for Christmas a number of years ago. This lighthearted sentiment is similar in tone to another phrase that’s often given as the definition of a friend, which is that a friend is someone who knows everything about you – and likes you anyway. Both these sayings came up as part of a talk I gave last week to a women’s [...]

By |January 27th, 2017|Buried Treasure, Columns, Faith, Professional Speaking, Values|Comments Off on Forever friends are always close by

Make your plans, and celebrate your life

In addition to all the holiday plans and preparations everyone is busy with at this time of year, many people take some time to look back at what they’ve accomplished and experienced in the past year, and to look forward as they plan for the future and all that they’d like to accomplish and experience in the coming year. I’ve never been able to sit down and plan out my short-term and long-term goals in terms of six-month, one-year, and five-year projections.  Whenever I’m asked [...]

By |December 9th, 2016|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Buried Treasure, Coaching, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings, Success|Comments Off on Make your plans, and celebrate your life

Buried treasure becomes a book

It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of doing, and that I’ve started a number of times but never quite finished. I’ve helped others do it, and I’ve done it twice as part of a larger group, but never on my own – until now. I’ve just published my first book. I don’t know which was more exciting, holding an actual copy of the book with my name on the cover, or seeing the book listed on Amazon, which made me feel like a “real author” [...]

By |November 11th, 2016|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Buried Treasure, Coaching, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Success, Writing|Comments Off on Buried treasure becomes a book

It’s time to clean up and clear out

We’ve reached the age and stage in our lives when it’s time to downsize, so my husband and I have been spending our time going through closets and cabinets, boxes and bins, and all the nooks and crannies where “stuff” resides and hides. It’s been an interesting endeavor. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a treasure hunt, especially when I come across something I lost track of years ago, wondering from time to time what ever happened to it. Other times I feel like I’ve [...]

By |October 28th, 2016|Buried Treasure, Columns, Family, Organizing|Comments Off on It’s time to clean up and clear out

Old advice is new again

“Take some time to stop and smell the roses.” We’re all familiar with this saying, telling us we should take time out from our busy lives to notice and enjoy the good things that are all around us. I’m sure most of us would acknowledge the wisdom of the advice, although few of us probably follow it on a regular basis. I thought about this recently after hearing a friend talk about how much she enjoyed taking walks with her daughter. They would walk along [...]

By |June 17th, 2016|Buried Treasure, Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Values|Comments Off on Old advice is new again