friendsgiving

Friendsgiving: When Friends Become Your Family

“Friends are the family you choose.” — Jess C. Scott Sandra’s Friendsgiving story is one several of us can relate to: She was far from home, and getting back to her family for Thanksgiving was not feasible. She decided to have her own gathering with people she was close to and wanted to be with. […]

black history month

Celebrating and Embracing Diversity

“The Beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people.” ~Unknown I have a neighbor who has surprised me. On the surface, I assumed she was a lot like me: a white, American woman of similar age with two little boys. Since becoming her friend, however, I have learned a great deal about […]

perpetual gratitude

The Perpetual Art of Gratitude

“I am happy because I’m grateful. I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy.” ~ Will Arnett Well, we are now safely into December. Thanksgiving and her season of gratitude has passed…but what if we are still searching for thankfulness and contentment? Last post I wrote about the ABCs of gratitude–where […]

ABCs of gratitude

November Gratitude: A Ruminators Guide to Being Content in the Now

“Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.” —Socrates We all have down days where we feel discouraged, defeated and troubled. Ruminating, however, is when we experience excessive, intrusive, and negative thoughts about experiences and feelings for an extended period of time. For example, a person with a history of trauma may be unable to […]

sunrise

How to Stay Sane During a Busy Summer

“If you feel ‘burnout’ setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself.” ~Dalai Lama Have you found yourself feeling overwhelmed and busy as restrictions have lessened and you have returned back to a more normal life? Have you felt stressed out by […]