In Bali, there are temples everywhere. Most families live in compounds with every element located in the ideal place. And every compound has a temple. The temple or family shrine is always placed at the northeast corner of the compound. These shrines are made out of soft stones that are intricately carved to honor ancestors […]
I am writing this from the middle of the Monkey Forrest in Ubud as I wait for my friends who are vigorous explorers. I am surrounded by what seems like a million monkeys and am observing so many life lessons. As we purchased our tickets we were given specific instructions on what to do and […]
I love to help people. I always have ideas I like to share with people when the express something I know I have just what they need. But I am realizing that sometimes they need me to just shut up and listen really paying attention. Have you ever been in a situation where there was […]
Sharon and I shared a similar experience in that we moved with our husbands to Maui only to have them die not long after we arrived. While Maui is beautiful, it is one of the most isolated places in the world to live. So both of us discovered ways to meet people and get involved […]
We hold on so tight to our beliefs and our possessions, yet sometimes holding on actually builds resistance in a way that prevents forward movement. Can you think of a way that holding on is affecting you? Ron and I had a home in Ventura, California. We were a mile from the beach, we could […]
Everybody is creative. Think about that. What do you create? What do you want to create? I’ve spent my life creating things without really thinking about it. I’ve created a family (with help from my family members of course!) I’ve created the books I’ve written. I’ve created groups to learn new things. I’ve created costume, […]
When dealing with loss, we often find ourselves sitting alone. In this space, it is easy to start slipping down into sadness, missing the one we lost. If I start to arrive at that spot, there are a couple of things I may do. First, in the silence of sitting alone, meditation can bring you […]
When I was growing up, I was always doing things to impress my parents, to see if they were watching. Most times they didn’t. After I left home, I would do things to impress my husband to see if he was watching, but generally he wasn’t impressed. Then I started doing things that I could […]
I read a short book today named A Pocket Guide to Gratitude by one of our Reclaiming Your Joy After Loss group members, Karen Schaal. It reminded me of my journey with gratitude that I thought I will share with you. Reflecting now, I can see clearly the division in my life from before I […]
Several months after Ron died, a good friend of ours who was much younger died suddenly. Feeling a deep connection with his wife, I immediately wrote her a letter including everything I could think of that she needed to know at that moment. She had not thought before this at all about what would happen […]
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