Today’s THE DAY, Journeyers!! I’m excited and honored and nervous and happy as all get-out… If you pre-ordered the Nook version, it’s waiting for you now! The Kindle version went live a few hours ago! And you can order the print version here. The paperback link hasn’t quite made its way to Amazon’s search database, but should be there within … Read More
Need a Lifeline for You or a Loved One?
Right now, millions of people all over the world are experiencing a loss due to one of these 5 Ds: Death, Despair, Destruction, Disease, or Dysfunction. When mayhem or mishap touches our lives, we often feel as if we are totally alone and gasping for air. We often feel as if our tragedy defines every nanosecond of our days … Read More
Honoring and Holding Space for All Those Left Behind
On Sunday I attended a simple ceremony for a sixty-something-year-old man who had given up on life years before his body did. He wasn’t a veteran, but one of the young men in attendance has been newly inducted into the Marines and may soon be deployed. As I stared at the countless flags dotting the landscape on … Read More
The Floodgates of Resentment from a Damsel in Distress
Three days ago I cried myself to sleep. Crocodile-sized-snot running-down-my-face-and-onto-my-pillow kind of tears. Resentment woke me several times during the night. Resentment brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat over and over the next morning, until I finally told myself that I had to table The Beast and focus on the work at hand. On my … Read More
On Overcoming Loss and Suffering
The holidays can be an especially difficult time for those who are coping with a past loss or are reeling with fresh grief. My heart is heavy for all whose sadness is raw right now.And, yet, the knowledge that we all have the ability to achieve healing lifts me up.I hope this message brings some form of comfort to you, or … Read More
Children Face Life’s Irony, Paradox, and Tragedy
I am the type of person who ranks honesty as one of my top values. I’m the type of person who doesn’t pussyfoot around any subject, even those like vaginas, penes, and death. I’ve tried to parent the same way, being open, honest, and answering my children’s questions as age-appropriately as I could. I’ve been direct in letting them know … Read More
Every Day a New Story Begins, Part II: Senseless and a Digging for the Light Excerpt
“It’s senseless,” she said, before they parted ways. Two women were talking about the unexpected death of a mutual friend. She was sixty-three years old. A mother. Grandmother. Wife. Friend. Vibrant and working one day. Gone the next. Poof! A new story begins. One where the person’s stories will now be spun by those who love her. Those who are … Read More
The Rearview Mirror
View from My Rearview Mirror “You’ve got to quit looking in the rearview mirror.”Last June, when I was feeling overwhelmed by the Hamster-Wheel month and a little depression, I had my first appointment with The Therapist. I told her I needed to work on figuring out the cause of the ongoing anger and conflict I seemed to have regarding my … Read More
Little White Pills and a Digging for the Light Excerpt
When I popped the top on the little orange bottle this morning, I noticed that I have only about a week’s rations left of my antidepressant. As I swallowed the little white pill, two things came to mind. I thought about a piece from my manuscript Digging for the Light. And I wondered if I want to renew the prescription … Read More
Facing My Fears, Pema Chodron Style
“You focus on another person’s suffering and breathe it in,” a friend of mine told me about a Tonglen meditation group she recently participated in, “and then you breathe out compassion.” Her group’s attention had been directed to the victims, families, and friends of those affected by the recent Aurora, Colorado shooting rampage. I couldn’t comprehend this model from the purpose … Read More