Events & news

Take your time

“Never be in a hurry. Do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” ~Saint Francis de Sales

I wrote several newspaper articles a week when I was a young mom. While working from home, I also shopped for groceries, drove the carpool, conducted phone interviews, processed the laundry, played with my son after school, and cooked family meals. I don’t know where I found the energy to do so much — but I was always in a rush and stressed out. Those years flew past like geese heading south to escape winter’s chill, and I wish I hadn’t hurried through them.

Today, I still catch myself rushing through projects. Old habits are hard to break, which is why I wake so early every morning — even when I could sleep much later.

Are you always running from one thing to the next? Do you feel guilty if you’re not accomplishing something that others will deem significant? Do you try to “get over” emotional pain and loss quickly, without taking time to process? Please join me in slowing down for just one morning, and allow yourself to be still in the moment. ~CL

Throughout my career, I've worked as a book production editor, travel magazine editor, features writer, and weekly newspaper columnist. My award-winning lifestyles features and essays have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies, including Newsweek, Reader's Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer's Digest, Victoria, Better Homes & Gardens, Bella Grace, and more. My weekly Sunday "Life Lines" column ran for 14 years in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI) and won a First Place (Local Columns) award from the Michigan Press Association. My essay collection, Writing Home, includes 93 previously published columns and essays focusing on parenthood and family life.

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