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Searching for ways to calm the storms

Until this past week, I had never heard of a bomb cyclone. But it’s formidable-sounding enough that I knew it referred to a nasty storm, even before I saw it described as “blizzard conditions and hurricane-like winds.” Shortly before Christmas, I saw a weather report about Winter Storm Dylan, which was dumping snow, sleet, and freezing rain in the Northeast.  Again, I thought, “I’ve never heard of that before.” I’m very familiar with winter storms, of course, having spent almost 60 years of my life [...]

By |January 5th, 2018|Columns, Health and Well-being, Making a Difference, Quotes and Sayings, Values|Comments Off on Searching for ways to calm the storms

A New Year Filled with Faith

I’m one of those people who still makes New Year’s Resolutions, and they’ve always been the subject of one of my columns each year – a practice I plan to continue with my blog. When I sat down to write this morning, I was all set to write about my resolution to deal with “unfinished business” – projects started but not completed, unanswered email, and some boxes and bins that still haven’t been unpacked from our move. But then I got a phone call from [...]

A simple solution to a Christmas dilemma

I was on the treadmill at the health club the other day. Two women near me were talking about their holiday plans and preparations. One of them was going through the list of people she still needed to buy gifts for, and saying how difficult it was to figure out what to buy for her young nieces and nephews. Plus, she had to ship some of the gifts, and she wasn’t looking forward to standing in line at the post office. “That’s why Thanksgiving is [...]

By |December 22nd, 2017|Columns, Faith, Family, Holidays, Values|Comments Off on A simple solution to a Christmas dilemma

It’s Christmas Cookie Time

I’ll be spending much of this weekend on one of my favorite activities of the holiday season: baking Christmas cookies. The tradition goes back to one of my fondest childhood memories – being in the kitchen with my mom and sisters, rolling out the dough, then cutting, baking, frosting, and decorating the cookies. And eating them, of course. I don’t do cutout cookies anymore. I don’t have the patience for all that work, although I have no problem spending hours at a time in the [...]

By |December 15th, 2017|Columns, Family, Holidays|Comments Off on It’s Christmas Cookie Time

Back to school – and loving it

I’m going back to school. High school, that is, and today was my first day. One of the organizations I’ve gotten involved with here is the Georgia Writers Museum. It’s part museum, focusing mainly on three famous authors who were born in this area (Alice Walker, Flannery O’Connor, and Joel Chandler Harris), and part Writers Center offering classes and other programs for writers of all ages and stages. A new program just getting started is called “Growing Up Creative in a Small Town,” and it’s [...]

By |December 8th, 2017|Columns, Making a Difference, Writing|2 Comments

A new plan to banish aches and pains

For a while now, I’ve been experiencing mild aches and pains when I get up in the morning. It’s nothing serious, just annoying. And it’s making me start to feel old. I was talking about this recently with a friend, and she mentioned a yoga program she’s doing. Apparently, she’s been feeling a few aches and pains herself, and came across a 31-day yoga program online. She said that since she’s been following it, she’s felt great. So I’m following it, too. I’m not entirely [...]

By |December 1st, 2017|Accountability, Columns, Health and Well-being, Success|Comments Off on A new plan to banish aches and pains

Practice gratitude every day

For all those who are celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend, I hope you’ve been having a wonderful time with family and friends, and that you have taken the time to recognize and acknowledge the many things in your life for which you are thankful. Gratitude is not something to be acknowledged on just one day or weekend during the year, of course. So I hope you will also take this opportunity to begin, right now, a practice of expressing gratitude every day – to [...]

By |November 24th, 2017|Columns, Faith, Family, Holidays, Values|Comments Off on Practice gratitude every day

A glimpse of heaven

“This must be what heaven is like.” It was in the middle of our book club meeting that one of our members made this comment. She wasn’t actually talking about our book club – although I certainly consider it heavenly to spend an afternoon or evening in thoughtful conversation with people whose company I enjoy and whose opinions I respect. However, her comment related to an excursion with an elderly relative. At one point during our meeting, our discussion led into stories about caring for [...]

By |November 18th, 2017|Columns, Family, Values|Comments Off on A glimpse of heaven

That’s the way the cookie crumbles

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m not so sure. I’m hosting our neighborhood book club meeting next week, and the book we’re reading this month is one I wrote. It includes 30 of my columns from the Chanhassen Villager – most of them dealing with nuggets of insight and inspiration that can be found in everyday life. Our book club meetings begin with lunch at noon, followed by the book discussion. Since several of my columns mention different foods [...]

By |November 10th, 2017|Columns, Family, Values, Writing|2 Comments

Enjoying the pleasure of an unexpected trip

A friend of mine was going to a conference in New Orleans last week. Since she’d never been there, she arranged to stay a few extra days for a mini-vacation. The person who was going to join her ended up having to cancel, so she called and asked if I was available, and if I wanted to go. I was, and I did, so I booked a flight to New Orleans, and met her at her hotel as soon as the conference was over. This [...]

By |November 4th, 2017|Columns, Holidays, Travel|Comments Off on Enjoying the pleasure of an unexpected trip