“Surreal” is the word that keeps coming to mind. Life has felt like an alternative universe for quite a while now, and it feels even stranger during the holiday season. After a year of much sacrifice, reality is requiring us to forgo traditions we hold dear and distance ourselves from people we may feel we’ve […]
“Life isn’t about surviving the storm. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” ~Vivian Greene Compassion is one of humanity’s greatest gifts. During times of suffering, such as following the death of a loved one, sufferers rely on the empathy of others to survive their ordeal. Yet, too often when someone is grieving, we do little more than offer an “I am sorry […]
“This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is part of life. May I be kind to myself in this moment. May I give myself the compassion I need.” ~Kristen Neff Your best friend just lost her husband and her mother within five days of one another. Her husband was terminally ill. Her mother was eighty-six. […]
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~Anatole France Unconditional love. The thought of my cats envelops me with warmth whenever I think of them. Why? Because we’re so connected. It’s an ethereal thing. Beyond words. Beyond reality. Beyond rationality. When I’m holding them, I feel so spiritually connected. […]
“There is some kind of a sweet innocence in being human—in not having to be just happy or just sad- in the nature of being able to be both broken and whole, at the same time.” ~C. JoyBell C. “I just feel like it’s never ending… like I should be more over it by now,” […]
“Love for the body motivates us to take care of our physical needs. In a family, love keeps its members together, so they can conduct the business of life and raise their children. For a group, love of a common cause keeps its members relating, so they can accomplish their tasks. Love of learning makes […]
“In our lives, change is unavoidable, loss is unavoidable. In the adaptability and ease with which we experience change lies our happiness and freedom.” ~Buddha The universe was conspiring against me, I was sure of it. By the time I was thirty-six, I had lost everything in life that I had set out to accomplish—my marriage, […]
“Obstacles don’t block the road, those are the path.” ~Zen proverb I figured the idea of a “cold sweat” was unreal and paradoxical before the evening of August 27, 2014. Which was my first cold sweat. My first of a lot things. Me jack-hammered within my chest. I heard my pulse within my ears. I […]
