Events & news
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What we have
“Appreciate what you have, while you have it, or you’ll learn what it meant to you after you lose it.” ~ Frank Sonnenberg My heart is breaking for the people who lost their homes in the Southern California wildfires. I’m in tears whenever I watch a news spot showing devastated families left with nothing but ashes, memories, and the clothes they were wearing when they had to evacuate. I wish I could do more than donate funds to help them.* What would it be like to lose everything — your home, your entire community — in a fire? As today’s quote warns, there’s so much we take for granted until…
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The theory of generosity
“You can get everything in life you want — if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” ~Zig Ziglar Everyone talks about the spirit of generosity during the holiday season. The phrase “paying it forward” — giving to someone without expecting something in return — is practically a cliche now. But I’ve discovered over the years that whenever I’m kind or generous to others, my life magically improves, too. Of course, it’s harder to be generous with our resources, time, or abilities if we don’t believe we have enough to share. Frugality is necessary for survival, at times, but stinginess grows from a “shortage mentality” —…
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Cheap shots
“Tune out the cheap shots people take at you. Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.” ~Angel Chernoff These days, I limit the amount of time I listen to the evening news. Political rhetoric is nastier than ever. I’m tempted to turn away from the cringe-worthy and risk being uninformed — even though I know better. At the end of the day, what worries me most is the fact that nasty political rhetoric seems to have a ripple effect on the folks we encounter in our daily lives. It’s important to spot the difference between constructive…
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The long road to recovery
“I’m not telling you that recovery is going to be easy; I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” – Art Williams First, thank you for your thoughtful texts, emails, and comments of support for Coco and our family. I’ve never received this much mail for any column or post I’ve written. Along with your support, you’ve shared hope-filled stories about your own pets and how they’ve recovered from illness and trauma. It proves that our pets are family, not accessories. When they hurt, we hurt. As promised, today’s post is an update on what’s next for Coco after the accident. Yesterday morning, several veterinarians at the animal hospital consulted…
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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…
