a word that says it all, a word that needs to be set down on paper and made plain Before I explain the concept of word journaling, I would like to offer a little personal background on the significance of the single word to the journaling experience. Indulge me, please, or go ahead and scroll... Continue Reading →
Blog
Exploring and Celebrating Survival
June was National Cancer Survivors Month, so this was the focus of my June writing workshop for cancer patients and caregivers. What better way for my thriving writers to celebrate than to spend time reflecting on and writing about what being a survivor means to them, right? Okay, okay--I admit there are probably more exciting... Continue Reading →
Our Clutter, Our Gardens, Ourselves: Spring Cleaning, Planting, and Blooming for Personal Wellbeing
Closets crammed with unused holiday gifts and other relics of the past, under-bed spaces stuffed with stuff--these might be our first observations of Spring (ugh, time for Spring cleaning!). Now here we are in April, and maybe the clutter still abounds because of more enjoyable activities like planting and basking in the resurrected rainbow glow... Continue Reading →
To Have a Friend, To Be a Friend
If you've never heard Carole King's song "You've Got a Friend," then you need to click on the title and listen to it right now. The song offers a perfect lyrical definition of friendship, and the raw, pure, and comforting sound of King's voice makes her sound like an old friend singing to you. If... Continue Reading →
A Most Undesirable Teacher: Learning from Illness and Trauma
“When we see what we have to learn from an illness, then often the illness can gather itself and begin to depart.” John O’Donohue "Cancer is an amazing teacher." Dr. Tieraona Low Dog "To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering." Friedrich Nietzsche We've all had... Continue Reading →
Can’t Control It? Master It!
A lack of control can be frustrating and frightening, but it might also be freeing. When we don't have control over some aspect of our lives, we might be frustrated by our inability to call the shots. If the situation is severe enough, we might feel like we're skidding into an infinite tailspin. However, we... Continue Reading →
Before, After, and Still
Though we might feel alone at particular times in our lives, particularly as a result of difficult or traumatic experiences, we do not live our lives in isolation. There is always someone upon whom our darkness descends and our light shines. There is always someone to turn to and to turn away from when we... Continue Reading →
Sometimes. . .
Soooo. . . how are those New Year’s resolutions coming along? Are you on track to fulfill them, or has the train derailed? Sometimes we promise too much to and of ourselves, so we don’t achieve all we resolved to. Our resolve then weakens, and we become discouraged and stop striving toward our goals. This... Continue Reading →
Empower Yourself with Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a gift that can be extremely difficult to give and quite humbling to receive. We might feel that the person who needs forgiveness doesn't deserve it; we might feel that we don't deserve the forgiveness that someone offers. The nature of forgiveness to be a gift to the receiver is obvious, but its... Continue Reading →
New Year’s Resolution Success: It’s All in the “Stars”
The changing of the year is traditionally a time to reflect on the past and make promises to ourselves about the immediate future. The immediate future: that new year that sneaks up on us and stares us down with a look that says, I dare you. Sometimes we promise too much to and of ourselves,... Continue Reading →