Resting in the Stillness After Personal Struggle

Silence, I learned, is some times the most beautiful sound.”  ― Charlotte Eriksson “Slowly, simply, silence, stillness” was my Lenten mantra, my focus, my goal for the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter morning. A lofty goal, yes. Yet, I was convinced this intentional journey would yield the peaceful rewards I was seeking in myContinue reading “Resting in the Stillness After Personal Struggle”

Thankful for the Practical Things, for Wood Floors and Simple Living

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. ~ William Arthur Ward   The thanks I give today is for the wood floors found throughout the first floor of the home I share with my husband and children. Yes. Wood floors. These Brazilian-red, wide-set planksContinue reading “Thankful for the Practical Things, for Wood Floors and Simple Living”

In Gratitude for Love and Marriage

“I heard a bird sing in the dark of December. A magical thing. And sweet to remember. We are nearer to Spring than we were in September. I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.” ~ Oliver Herford   Increasing our gratitude efforts in the month of November can allow us to reflectContinue reading “In Gratitude for Love and Marriage”

Lighting the way for those children lost too soon, never forgotten, remaining forever in our hearts #waveoflight2017

“There is, I am convinced, no picture that conveys in all its dreadfulness, a vision of sorrow, despairing, remediless, supreme. If I could paint such a picture, the canvas would show only a woman looking down at her empty arms.” ~ Charlotte Brontë   A flicker of light, a ray shining through, cast out theContinue reading “Lighting the way for those children lost too soon, never forgotten, remaining forever in our hearts #waveoflight2017”

Seeking joy in the present moment

“If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.” ~ Carlos Santana   When you feel anxious waiting for a call from your child’s doctor with his or her test results, what eases your stress? When a family member, living hours away, is sick again with the symptoms of his or herContinue reading “Seeking joy in the present moment”