December Thoughts

It’s been a month since I last blogged. My life has been full. I was able to visit my mother last month, in Austin, Texas. It was good to be with her for a week. I know that our time together is limited which makes each visit very special. I enjoyed meeting her new friends and just being with her. A few days after I returned home, my husband and I drove to North Carolina to celebrate our youngest grandchild’s baptism and have Thanksgiving with more family. What a special time for all of us. Since then, we have been home. It looks like we will be cocooning again for the next several months. Covid has started to increase in numbers. Don’t let it scare you. Take each day as it comes. As a nurse, I know the importance of good hand washing, wearing masks when around people, and using social distance. Whether you are vaccinated or not, all of that is good practice. We might consider these measures even after we are through Covid as winter brings flu, GI upsets, and pneumonia, among other maladies. To continue to stretch forward, we just need to be careful. Go about your day to day living and remember to wash your hands. My mom always asked us to wash our hands when we came indoors after playing and before we sat down to eat a meal. She knew then and still knows today it’s importance. May you have a wonderful holiday season, no matter which holidays you celebrate. And always remember what your mother told you.

Mom and Me

Leaves are Peaking

It is November and the leaves in Ohio are just starting to peak, having prolonged our autumn days. The sun is shining and instead of cloudy fall days, we have had delightful color-filled days. My husband and I took an hour hike into the woods off the beaten path over the weekend. Our senses were alive and memories of our childhoods came racing back, a time when our only worries were how much play time we would have. Your autumn may look different than mine. Some towns have only evergreens and don’t have the option to enjoy a rainbow of color that can be found in the northern states. If that is where you live, do you enjoy the photos friends post from other areas of the world? I enjoy the warm beach scenes from others. What a delight to have different views of this month.

Raking will come in a couple of weeks, but for now, nature is showing us how beautiful it can be to let go. Change is coming, as it does every fall. Think about how you are changing as you enjoy nature’s paint brush. Change happens so slowly that we may not be aware of what is happening moment by moment. When you look back years from now, you will be amazed. FaceBook often provides me with memories that take me back many years to view some of my changes. Take time today to savor what autumn has to offer each of us and contemplate this time in your life. What did you discover?

A Beautiful Day

Finding Purpose Today, the most recent online retreat happened a week ago on Saturday. Only two and a half weeks after Embracing Your Life at Lakeside in September, the weather couldn’t have been different. Lakeside in September was chilly and wet with a nor’ easterner coming through after our first day. Last Saturday we had a beautiful, sunny, warm day. I opened my windows and front door to allow the sunshine to join me as I shared time with unfinished women on my computer screen. We took time at lunch to go outside and enjoy the sun alone, a chance to refresh our minds and bodies. I hope you are taking time for yourself as fall continues to bring us warm sun, beautiful leaves, and crisp air. You never know what each day will bring so savor each day we are given. Don’t look back and don’t look ahead. Today is what matters.

Stretching Once Again

I am back from Embracing Your Life, the September retreat at Lakeside. How I wish we were there this week. The weather is just right for fall. We all know that all plans need a plan B. Plans for outside time at Lakeside changed with the weather. Last Tuesday was a beautiful day, a little cool, but we were able to be outside before dinner to enjoy the Lake Erie beach. By the next morning, a nor’easter was coming through and we found ourselves inside staying warm and dry. The winds blew, the rains came, and we stayed nestled in our afghans and throws. Hot coffee and tea were welcome. Outdoor plans were modified and we made the best of the weather. A couple of brave souls took a quick walk in the wind and rain, but did not stay out very long and came back very wet. The weather did not abate on Thursday, and so, the wonderful strolls on the walkways of Lakeside were not to be.

The retreat was small in size, but large in finding community and stretching to find ourselves. The photos below were taken at the same beach, two days apart. I went down for the sunset on Monday evening after I arrived at Lakeside, the night before the retreat commenced. The second photo is one taken on Wednesday evening as we weathered the storm. It is so amazing how the weather can change everything so quickly. What a reminder for us that even when we feel like we are in the midst of a storm, the sun will shine again. We continue to be unfinished women, stretching forward to what is next.

Ready to Retreat

I leave today for Lakeside to prepare for the Embracing Your Life retreat that begins on Tuesday. The time I have spent preparing the programming, food, and lodging has allowed me to cross my t’s and dot my i’s so that while I am at Lakeside, I am also on retreat. What I have learned about myself through the years is that I thrive on organization, learning many years ago that procrastination and chaos brings anxiety for me. Once I arrive at Lakeside, I will unload my car, put food away, prepare each guest room, and set the mood in the parlor for the retreating women to relax, revive, and renew. I can’t wait to see the cottage, hear the sounds of Lake Erie, smell the late summer flowers, feel the breeze as I sit in a rocker on the front porch, and savor my peach freeze from Netties drive up across the road. Being at Lakeside provides a special harmony in my life. I look forward to sharing that harmony over the next three days with the women joining me as we continue to stretch forward. We are all unfinished, ready to embrace what’s next.

Wind and Waves

My husband and I only have to drive a few miles to view the sunset on Lake Erie. We feel so fortunate to live so close and visit often. Since we were there two evenings ago, we almost didn’t go tonight. There was a chill in the air and the wind was swift, but I believe in the saying that “there’s no bad weather, only bad clothing.” So we donned our jackets and braved the wind. We had the view almost to ourselves, so different from a week ago when the weather was warmer. We could smell the crispness of the air, view beautiful the cotton candy colors in the sky, and listen to the waves crashing on the break wall. It was a spontaneous decision to make the drive and I am so glad we did. I didn’t want to leave. How often do you listen to your heart? Go out of your way to view something spectacular? Take time to savor what nature has to show you? Each season has it’s beauty. I hope you go out and find what today has to offer.

Lakeside

Lakeside, Ohio is just over an hour from my home, one of only nine Chautauquas remaining today. Lakeside was established in 1874 by two men who believed that education belonged to everyone. By the last decade of the 19th century, the Chautauqua Institution was nationally known as a center for rather earnest, but high-minded, activities that aimed at intellectual, moral self-improvement and civic involvement. There were several hundred Chautauqua communities throughout the United States at their height in the 1920s. The four pillars of the movement remain today at Lakeside: education, cultural arts, religion, and recreation.

I have visited Lakeside since my children were young as a special place where you have the feeling of going back in time to a simpler way of living. I have visited friends, enjoyed picnics, attended book clubs and seminars, walked in the woods, played shuffleboard and mini golf, waded in the lake, gone swimming in the pool, taken teenagers for church retreats, attended church mission schools, and and eaten ice cream, pizza and doughnuts. I’ve visited during the wooden boat show, plein air art shows and the antiques show/sale. I’ve savored walking the beautiful mile to enjoy the lake and the beauty of each season’s flowers. I have hosted women’s retreats both in the fall and the spring.

During the summer Lakeside is a bustling, friendly community that provides educational and recreational opportunities every day. I started offering Stretching Forward retreats in 2017 during the off season when the personality of Lakeside changes from the summer months. Between Labor Day and Memorial Day Lakeside becomes a quiet town of about 100 people who call Lakeside their home year round. Most of the activities cease, the pool closes, many of the stores and restaurants close their doors for the season, and the gates open. What is left is the beauty of nature, solitude, quiet, and serenity. I love the fall and spring at Lakeside when walking in the woods provides time for contemplation.

I returned home this past week from three days at Lakeside near the end of their busy time. It was the best of both worlds. Lakeside is slowing down as their season comes to a close so there were fewer people around but those I encountered were happy and playful. Programs and activities were still going on, the pool was refreshing on a 90 degree day, and I enjoyed the famous ice cream and pizza. I was there to prepare for the September retreat, Embracing Your Life, which I look forward to sharing with the women joining me for three days. I found what I was looking for and returned home joyful.

Where do you go for inspiration?

Rainy Days

We have had a rainy summer here in Cleveland, waking up to another one today. The weather has been different this year, more rain, more days of hot and humid weather, sprinkled with some cool fall-like days. How wonderful it would be to have sunshine and temperatures from 72-80 every day. As Karen Carpenter sang: “What I’ve got they used to call the blues. Nothin’ is really wrong Feeling like I don’t belong Walkin’ around Some kind of lonely clown Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” Today is a rainy Monday.

Life isn’t all sunshine and roses. We have good days and bad days. There are days when we wake up and anticipate the day with joy. And there are days we want to crawl back under the covers. Have you felt that this summer? Does it feel like every day is Monday? Karen was not a fan of Monday. Are you? Try looking at Monday as the beginning of the week, make it a challenge for what can be accomplished in the days ahead. Try to find the rain refreshing as it provides water for our flowers, trees, and shrubs or cools off the hot summer air. Summer still has a month to go. Don't wish it away too quickly. Embrace your Mondays and go dancing in the rain.

Iona

Many of you know about my journey to Iona in 2017. I flew to Great Britain with my husband where we visited York, England and then took a train north to explore Edinburgh and the Highlands of Scotland. My husband flew home from Edinburgh and I stayed behind to start my adventure to Iona, a remote island off the west coast of Scotland where I retreated for a week with Joan Anderson and 21 other women. The retreat was titled, “A Second Journey to Embrace Body and Soul.” We hiked to beaches, up hills, around rocks, next to the ocean, and into labyrinths. We pondered our roots, looked back at our lifetime experiences, and dreamed of what is ahead. It was a week that stays with me to this day. When I returned home I wanted the experience to remain in my focus as time passed so I created a Shutterfly book of my journey. The book is opened several times each year and the memories flood back. I then put together a short video using Celtic music and photos of Iona. I developed a short introduction to the video as a way of sharing my experience and have offered the program to several local groups.

Today I presented “Reflections of Iona” at Westlake’s new community center to both men and women. When the video was over, there was silence in the room and I felt that the audience had been to Iona with me. The special feelings I have for Iona as a place of serenity and joy had been shared. I hope to return to Iona someday, the small Scottish island that brings me comfort and peace, and helped me believe that I am enough.

Where is your special place? Where is the place that brings you calm and helps you believe in yourself? The fall retreat at Lakeside still has a couple of openings. Consider joining us as we stretch forward to embrace the lives we have.

A New Adventure

My husband and I have been out of town for a week, babysitting our youngest granddaughter who is 15 months old. It has been special to be with her, to have her by herself, to feel the hugs and cuddles and remember what it was like to be the parents of a toddler. The scenery change of Southport, NC, a small coastal town on the Atlantic, has been a delightful bonus. A great experience, both with the baby and the small town. We have enjoyed the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape Fear River nearby, Fort Johnston, and many meals of fresh seafood. After so many pandemic months, having time outside in a new environment has been enriching, much like our own retreat. Covid is still all around us, but being vaccinated has given us an opportunity to stretch forward, baby step by baby step. I hope you are finding joy in the summer weather wherever you are, grateful for what is. Continue to stay safe as you take each step back toward normalcy.

Letting Go

It is still spring even though we are less than a month away from summer. Spring cleaning seems to be an old fashioned term these days. In today’s world, how many of us strip rooms down and deep clean, wash the windows and screens, put away seasonal clothing from winter and bring out the shorts? As I age, I find it all gets done in time, but not all at once. As we have been in hibernation during the pandemic, many of us have tried to clear out items no longer needed. Marie Kondo talks about holding an item in your arms, noticing if it speaks to your heart and then letting go of anything that does not give you joy. Easier said than done. I have been cleaning out linen closets and clothing, putting those items that have served their purpose in boxes so that someone else may find their joy.

My husband and I recently purchased a new table and chairs for our backyard. The set is larger than the one we have had for over 25 years and looks nice on the deck. We look forward to enjoying it this summer with whatever family is able to visit. Even so, it was hard for me to sell the old set with it’s glass tabletop and soft cushions. We have memories of so many family events being celebrated around it. We had even recovered the cushions twice. Keith took the pictures and I reluctantly placed them on FB. Within less than 12 hours we had 12 inquiries. We sold it to a woman whose children are helping her stretch forward after recently losing her husband. I had not been sure I could let go of the memories and comfort the set held for me. But we didn’t need two sets and we did need something a little larger for our expanding family. When her son picked the table up, I realized that letting go of something that had served us so well for so long would now do the same thing for another family. Memorial Day is this weekend and we will share a meal with our son and his family on the deck with the new table and continue making memories. It is freeing to let go. It is part of our stretching forward, day by day, minute by minute, piece by piece.

What have you let go of recently?

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is tomorrow. A day for us to honor our mothers, to remember what it was like to be a child and have a mommy. Many of us are fortunate to be mothers and grandmothers now. No matter what, we all had a mother when we were born. If we are lucky, we remember how they held us in their arms, kissed the boo-boos on our knees, and made us eat what was on our plate. I am so blessed to be able to FaceTime with mine tomorrow to wish her Happy Mother’s Day. She will be 92 in August. When we connect, we often talk about what it was like raising children in the 50s and 60s. Many of us look back and think it was a simpler time, but based on discussions with my mom, I’m not so sure.

When I was a child, I didn’t think about what it took to be my mother. I was oblivious to all the wonders and fears out there. My world was my backyard, my bedroom, my parents and my brothers. My mother had five children to worry about, to feed, to care for and love. As children, we spent our summers playing with the neighbors, making up games and skits, and not having a care in the world. School months were routine, get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, go to school, come home, do homework, eat dinner, go to bed. The world changed for me in sixth grade, the day JFK was assassinated. My brothers and I were sent home from school to find my mother glued to the television. The country was in shock. Even while in mourning for our president, my mother still had meals to fix, children to keep safe, bathe and put to bed. She sent us to school knowing that we were practicing duck and cover by going into the halls for drills, pulling our legs up to our face and covering ourselves with our coats in case the bomb came. She made it look easy, but I realized how hard it must have been once I became a mother. She didn’t think about herself, what she needed or wanted. She concentrated on making sure her children were safe and loved. I wish I could give her back time for herself, that I had realized what she was doing. Our children are carefree - one of the perks of being a child. Our children are here to love us, to look for direction from us, to feel safe and cared for. Thankfully, today many women realize the need to care for themselves so they can care for their families, although finding time continues to be a challenge for so many women. We can’t afford to miss the opportunity to find time to evaluate our lives. As Anne Morrow Lindberg said, “For if it is a woman’s nature to nurture, then she must nourish herself.” I hope Stretching Forward provides nourishment for your soul. Happy Mother's Day to all of you - mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, women who care.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom.

May this day be full of love and joy.

Reminders . . .

I added a post to Instagram and FaceBook today. Going forward, I hope to offer inspiration or reminders on a regular basis through social media. I hope you are able to follow us there. Use Stretching Forward Retreats to find the pages on both FaceBook and Instagram or the links below.

The post today seems so appropriate right now. “Only when we begin to be awake do we realize how asleep we have been.” As we start to venture out into the world we left behind last March, we need to be gentle with ourselves. Whether the past year has been difficult for you, or a nice breather in a hectic life - or both! - our new normal awaits. We have learned to wash hands, wear masks, do social distancing, and become immunized. It is time to take baby steps. I did some stretching last week when my husband asked me to go inside a restaurant for happy hour. The only other time I had been inside a restaurant since last March was a couple of weeks ago to meet friends we hadn’t seen in a year and a half. I was on edge the entire evening as we sat and enjoyed each other’s company. The food was delicious, the community fabulous, but I was very aware of all going on around me. We wore masks when not eating. I was uncomfortable even though we had all had our second immunizations. This week, it was just the two of us, going to a favorite locale from BC (before covid). I felt a little more settled this time. We sat alone at a corner hightop with no one within 12 feet of our table. Our waiter wore a mask the entire evening. My husband toasted our getting out when our drinks came and I smiled. Our conversation became fun, inspiring, and connecting. I didn’t realize how much I had missed those times together, out on the town, feeling carefree and opening up to each other. It was then I realized that I have been asleep for awhile. It has been comfortable and safe to be at home, but I am ready to slowly wake up and start savoring a more “normal” life.

We can start to move ahead and still stay safe. Can you relate? What have you done this season to start stretching forward? I look forward to hearing your responses.

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Spring . . . again

In Northern Ohio, we have days of warm weather that feel more like May or June and they are mixed with our typical cooler, wetter days. When the warm days come, it is time to open up all the windows, take a walk in the sunshine without a jacket, and just savor: the sunshine, the budding trees, the flowering bulbs, the chirping birds. Today it is 77 degrees. Tomorrow might find us back in the 40’s with rain. Less than a week ago, we had snow that lingered for a couple of days. No matter the weather, the calendar says April is here. I remember last April when we were already tiring of the pandemic, thankfully having no idea of what was ahead. All winter we were impatient for spring to appear, and now it is here. Social distancing, hand washing, and face masks have not disappeared, but a year later we have added testing and immunization to what we can do to bring life back to a more “normal.” It is time to clean house - both where we live and where our thoughts are. Every year the seasons arrive, no matter what else is going on in the world. We can count on that. On Sunday we had one of our five children and his family over for a fun afternoon that included hunting for eggs and sharing a real dinner in our dining room on my mother’s china. Watching our young grandchildren run and play and laugh was the best medicine we could have. Let’s continue believing we can get past this with caution, and precautions, and science, and love. We are on the home stretch - continue going forward.

International Women's Day

Today, March 8, 2021, is International Women’s Day. It’s a day to celebrate all the achievements of women across the world, all the contributions made to social, economic, cultural and political advancements. It is a time to celebrate women and the positive difference we have made for the world, to honor the women who have made a positive difference for all of us. Who is your mentor? So many women have made an impact on our lives, and will continue to do so.

The theme for the 2021 International Women’s Day is #ChoosetoChallenge. Challenge brings change, giving us a way to help make the world more inclusive and a better place to live. It can also be a way for us to challenge ourselves to look at what we offer the world, what our purpose is, to build each other up. I am one of five children, but an only daughter. Not having a sister growing up, I felt special as my brothers share their rooms. As I grew older, I realized all I missed in not having a built-in best friend. My husband is an only son with three sisters. I watch their relationships and realize the camaraderie I missed. As a result, my girlfriends are very important to me. Many women build circles of friendships that are unbreakable as they care for and support each other. I have friends that I consider “sisters” in my life from college days, young motherhood, church, neighbors, and now from leading retreats. Each friendship is dear to me, and as I grow older, I value each one more. I have missed seeing them in person during the pandemic, but I have been able to continue our connections through phone calls, FaceTime, Zoom, texting, and sharing photos. It will be a great time when we can share much needed hugs, hopefully before too long.

Women’s circles have been developed for churches, volunteers, and neighborhoods. Successful women are often a part of a circle of women who have each other’s best interests at heart. My challenge to you today is to look at your circles and see where you have a group of women who are there for you, and you are there for them. Where you can be yourself and still be accepted. We are all so much more than the sum of descriptors. Pick up the phone and let them know how much they are appreciated. Our community is what keeps the world spinning.

Please share in the comments below a story about a woman who has made a difference in your life. We are all in this together.

Silver Linings

As a registered nurse, even though I am retired, I keep my license active which means I am required to have 24 continuing education hours every two years to renew. For the last year, all my CEs have been on Zoom even though I used to only enjoy in-person offerings. My most recent one was titled, “Covid-19: Where We’ve Been and Where We are Going.” One objective was to identify three things that have been impacted in our lives during the pandemic. Nearly nine out of ten adults in the US say their life has changed to some degree as a result of Covid-19. There have been so many changes that have challenged us. For many of us, it has been a struggle financially, personally, physically, mentally and psychologically. We hadn’t heard the term “social distancing” before March 2020 and now it is a household word. As a nurse, I have worn many face masks in my career, but not like we do now. We are all tired, emotionally spent, and ready to move on. Many of us have dealt with job loss, illness and losing loved ones. Winter has worn us down, but as the thaw has begun, at least for now, we look forward to spring. I remember last year how much the sunlight and warmer temperatures made it all so much better.

The course I took also talked about what we don’t often realize, the silver linings that can be found, if we look. Many of us have embraced technology like never before. I had not heard of Zoom before last March. When my husband suggested I do a retreat via Zoom, I balked. How could it be a retreat when in my mind, you have to go away to retreat. I have now led three Zoom retreats that proved me wrong. The evaluations encourage me to continue on that path until we are once again safe to share space together. The Finding Purpose retreats have provided community for groups of like-minded women. Another silver lining is realizing how much we value our relationships. We miss family and friends, happy hours, picnics, special dinners, birthdays, holidays. Car parades are how we celebrate birthdays and showers right now. Technology has aided us in “seeing” our family and friends until we are able to be together in person again . It will be something to truly celebrate. Many people have been able to work from home. Traffic has decreased, car emissions have decreased, there is more time for sleeping in just a little longer instead of spending time in rush hours. A new model of consumerism is coming of age. As consumers, many of us have been more selective in what we buy, where it comes from, and what is really needed. Many of us have had time to write letters to friends, pick up the phone to talk, take walks to savor nature. Not so much rushing around, being “busy",” not having time to do what gives us joy. I know not everyone has found more free time or been fortunate enough to save, but hopefully, you have found at least one silver lining.

Change is the one thing that is constant in our lives. There was a time in my life that I thought, “if only_____,” then things would be perfect. There is no perfect. A wise woman once told me to be happy with “good enough.” We are on a journey that has new vistas daily. Take a moment to reflect on what you have found beneficial as a result of the pandemic and allow those things to keep you stretching forward.

Lake Erie

Changes happen everywhere. The lake is frozen today, but soon will thaw, and the shoreline will be forever changed. Each day brings silver linings, we just have to look for them.

Finding Purpose

This Saturday, February 6, I will be facilitating an online retreat for six women who are ready to open their minds and hearts to finding their purpose. A community of women caring for themselves and others. In this Covid world, connection is so very important. We have been isolated for almost a year now. We miss our families, friends, restaurants, music venues, museums, church, schools. I have found that people aren’t as friendly with a mask on as we pass in the grocery store. The new normal is getting old. Will it ever end? With time on their hands, many women are questioning themselves and their purpose.

The October retreats filled my heart as I listened and watched women search inside themselves for what matters most. I am excited to bring this new group together to form a bond, to reflect on their positives. The world needs each one of us today, and tomorrow. We can learn from yesterday and bring wisdom to our lives as we age whether we are still working, parenting, or are retired. We are part of a world that needs to be healed. If we look inside ourselves, we will find what one kindness can do. Just like a drop of water in the sea, our ripples matter. What a difference one person can make. Just keep believing and stretching forward.

What the World Needs Now

It’s the second week of January 2021. We were so happy to close the book on 2020, but so far, this year has started with even more issues. We are living in a world full of stress that keeps us awake at night. I believe Jackie DeShannon got it right back in 1965 when she sang, “What the World Needs Now is Love.”

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some, but for everyone

Love for everyone. Our friends, our foes, those we don’t understand. We can make a difference, one person at a time by showing kindness, generosity, patience, and love. By believing. I live outside of Cleveland, Ohio and cheered on Sunday as the Browns won against the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second time in two weeks. In a good year, that would have been unbelievable. But this year, this game, the Browns were missing four wide receivers and five coaches, including their head coach, due to Covid-19. Our team was playing against a quarterback who didn’t play the week before to get ready for this game. The Browns hadn’t won a playoff game in twenty-five years. But each player and each coach believed. They knew that if they did their best, and everyone around them did too, they could be victorious. It was a spectacular game. If only our country could take to heart what can be done with patience, love, determination, belief, and teamwork. As a country, as a part of this world, we too cannot give up. Each one of us matters and each one of us makes a difference.

If you have lost your focus, consider joining us on February 6 for an online one-day retreat, Finding Purpose Today. It’s time to bring back our hope, to believe in ourselves, to be resilient.

Winter Solstice

Today, December 21, is the winter solstice. It happens every year. The longest amount of darkness with the shortest number of daylight minutes. In Ohio, the sun came up this morning at 7:51 am and will set at 5:01 pm, only 10 hours and 10 minutes of daylight.  It is the day we turn the corner and know that there will be more light tomorrow.  It also marks the point in time where “the generative and creative powers of our universe start to return and grow again.”

This month, many of us celebrate religious holidays including Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.  These holidays recognize new birth, light in a dark world, unity, purpose, hope, and rededication. Spiritually, this time of year symbolizes the chance for renewal, a time to shed bad habits, negative thoughts and feelings.  A time to embrace hope as things get brighter. The light that comes from these holidays in the midst of the darkness brings optimism for the days ahead.  We come to the end of this year with new vaccines for Covid-19 and plans to be together soon with those we have missed.  We must stay patient.

Each year the winter solstice comes with a promise that the next day will be brighter.  Take time to light a candle in the dark tonight to represent the return of light to our world.  Consider clearing out what is no longer needed and make space for what is to come. If we embrace a spirit of unity, compassion, and optimism, we can begin to forgive and collaborate.  We can reconcile our political differences and once again find compromise.  The winter solstice reminds us that our universe is constantly changing, and, just like us, stretching forward every day.  

Thankful

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Many of us celebrated with only those who live with us, missing so many dear family members and friends thanks to the pandemic. Even so, there is so much to be thankful for. I flew home from Austin on March 3 after visiting my mother, not realizing that it would be the last of my quarterly visits for a long time. We talk almost every day, and I try to FaceTime her once a week. I am sad to not see her in person, but grateful she is safe and able to care for herself. My husband and I miss all of our children and grandchildren. We are grateful there is love in their homes and that they are staying safe. We hope that our staying away will allow us all to celebrate special events together for years to come. Our hearts are full of gratitude for all that we do have and the technology that connects us with our family from a distance.

I am also thankful for all of you. Offering the first online retreat in October stretched me forward. What a joy to have ten women join me for a day of reflection. With their encouragement, the retreat will be offered again on February 6. If you haven’t tried a retreat before, consider giving this one on Zoom a try. Finding Purpose Today is a personal retreat in the comfort and safety of your own home. Take a few minutes and read the testimonials on a separate page on this website. I am happy to answer any questions you might have.

Today, take some time to be grateful for what is good in your life, whether big or small and savor it all. Consider the “To-Do” list below, always remembering to breathe. You are worth it.