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happiness

Believe

March 5, 2026 by Emily Thiroux Leave a Comment

Did you know that there is so much you can do if you believe you can? So many times, we can sabotage the dreams we have by not believing in ourselves. This often happens while we are grieving because it may feel like our world is falling apart because nothing is the same. The good news is that you can change your situation when you believe you can.

This morning a dear friend told me that she decided she needed a bigger house. On the day she decided, she ran into a friend who had a bigger house to rent, so she easily found exactly what she needed. I’ve done that too. My husband and I bought three houses in the time we were together. For each one, we wrote a list of exactly what we wanted in detail, and within a week each time, we found exactly what we needed at a price we could afford. For two of those houses, we even made a huge profit on the sale of the house we had been living in.

Your belief can make things happen, but what you want won’t just fall into your lap. Your actions and words must be in alignment to ensure the outcome you desire. Let’s say you want to be an artist. First you must decide what kind of artist you want to be. Then you must learn how to master that technique. Then you must discover how to display your work so your intended audience can see it. Nothing is so simple as just saying you want something.

After my husband died, I had a friend who was persistent in asking me if I was dating, and I always said no. Finally, I thought there must be a reason she was doing this. I was hesitant because my husband who died was so wonderful, I didn’t think it was possible to find anyone else I would want to be with. To prove that to myself, I made a list of all the traits and accomplishments anybody I would go out with must have. The list was long and detailed. I finally went on Match.com, and I was right. Just about every person did not fill many items on my list, but one did. I was shocked as I checked off every item on my list, and he even had more items that were wonderful. I was so glad that I stopped being stubborn and allowed myself to find my new husband.

How would you design the life you want to live? What makes you feel good and happy? Take some time to explore in writing what, where, and how you want to be. Use specific details. As I sit on my lanai enjoying a cool breeze, the many bird songs, and the view of two sides on the island of Maui, I am grateful to believe in myself which allowed me to create the miraculous life I love.

 

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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Filed Under: Change, Community, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Grief, Happiness, Intentions, Joy, Love, Self-Care, Support Tagged With: bereavement gifts, change, community, friends, happiness, healthy coping mechanisms, how to deal with grief, Joy, love, practicing gratitude, reclaiming your joy, self-care, support, writing through grief

Happiness — Pass it On!

February 26, 2026 by Emily Thiroux Leave a Comment

Today there seems to be lots of bad or negative news circulating.

Here is some good news for you to brighten your day!

  1. I get lots of very tasty apple bananas from my trees. What fresh fruit are you enjoying?
  2. My friend Michael Reed just published a book, The Owl and the Ladybug, a gentle, beautifully illustrated story created to help children begin making sense of grief, sadness, or loss in a way that feels safe, calm, and reassuring. I am happy to see this special book is available to help 4- to 10-year-olds. What’s the best, positive book you have read recently?
  3. I just went with friends to see an excellent production of the play The Revolutionists at the Maui Academy of Performing Arts. I loved being able to see a production so beautifully done. What is something you have done lately that you really enjoyed?

Join me in spreading some joy!

  1. Email the answers to my questions to me to bring me some happiness! emilyemail
  2. Write a list of three items of good news you are enjoying today. Send your list to at least three of your friends. I’d love to be one of them!
  3. In your journaling every day, write 3 things that make you happy.

Before you share something negative with your friends, stop and think of something beautiful or positive you could share instead.

Let’s start a Happiness Revolution together! Let’s see how many smiles we can inspire!

Filed Under: Change, Creativity, Gratitude, Grief, Happiness, Joy, Love, Self-Care, Support Tagged With: friends, Gratitude, grief, happiness, how to deal with grief, love, practicing gratitude, reclaiming your joy, self-care, writing through grief

An Affair?

January 21, 2026 by Emily Thiroux

I heard the other day someone say you should have an affair with yourself, and I smiled. What a good idea!  The most important person for you to love is yourself. Sometimes we forget that when a loved one dies. We may say something like a part of you is missing. I understand that idea, but it isn’t the truth. The truth is you are whole just the way you are.

When I chose what to wear, I find myself thinking of things like “Mom loved that color,” “Jacques was so amazed that I could sew beautiful clothes for myself,” or “Ron bought me that sweater and I always think of him when I wear it.” These types of memories don’t keep us stuck in the past, but they can make us smile, and you are always more beautiful with a smile on your face.

When you want a snack, treat yourself to some fresh cherries or watermelon instead of a bag of chips. When you want a drink, treat yourself to a new tea flavor, hot or iced instead of a cup of wine. When you want to go out, find some friends to go with you and try something new like learning how to paint, playing pickleball, or trying a new food truck.

You can choose to be happy maybe one step at a time. The more steps you take, the weight of your grief can start falling away. You can always keep your loved one in your heart, and you can also expand your happiness at the same time.

Take yourself on a date this week!

have an affair with yourself, you will remember that you are whole, perfect, complete, and beautiful. You will also choose to treat yourself the very best by taking special, tender care of your physical self. You will eat wisely and well, and you’ll always bathe and brush your teeth. You will dress in clothes that make you feel good about yourself. I say all this because so many people who are grieving let things go. Just getting out of bed sometimes may feel impossible, but you can do it.

 

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Grief and Happiness Handbook

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Filed Under: Change, Community, Grief, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Self-Care Tagged With: change, grief, happiness, Joy, love, self-care, support

Holiday Letters

December 3, 2025 by Emily Thiroux

I always loved getting holiday letters from friends and family. Often it is the only time I heard from people I cared about each year. Over the years, the numbers of cards have decreased and often the letters are brief and impersonal. I am a big proponent of staying in touch with people I love, but I know I could do better. Ron and I wrote a holiday letter together each year, and my first year without him, I decided to write a letter on my own.  Here is the sharing I put on my Christmas card the year Ron died:

Christmas this year is a time of reflection for me. In a year of deep experiences, I’ve learned so              much.

  • I learned the peace of living only in the moment.
  • I learned the joy of spending all my time with Ron.
  • I learned the love of being surrounded by our Ohana and loving friends and family.
  • I learned the gratitude we have for the perfect care given by Hospice.
  • I learned the beauty of Hawaiian culture in the memorial service for Ron on the Beach.
  •  I learned the strength I didn’t realize I have in looking forward to each new day.This holiday season and next year, I wish you peace, joy, love, gratitude, beauty, and strength.

 

I like what I wrote that year. Reading it again showed me how much I have learned and changed since eight years ago. And It made me realize how much I love the tradition of staying in touch. I keep my holiday card list updated, and I don’t delete addresses of people who don’t keep in touch with me because I still think of them and would love to hear from them too!

I am in the prosses of putting my holiday letter together for this year and am sharing with you a fill in the blanks template as an idea for you to create your own letters. Here you go!

This year has brought me (or us, or our family) ______________________

As I reflect, I realize that:

      • I learned that ____________________________________________________
      • I experienced joy by _______________________________________________
      • I love that ________________________________________________________
      • I saw beauty in ____________________________________________________
      • I accomplished __________________________________________________
      • I found peace by _________________________________________________
      • I am grateful for __________________________________________________
      • I love you because _______________________________________________
      • I will keep in better touch with you by ______________________________

This holiday season and next year, I wish you peace, joy, love, gratitude, beauty, and                                strength.

Feel free to change or add anything you’d like. Have fun with this. I hope you will send letters or cards to at least some of your loved ones, and of course, I would love to get something from you!

Keeping in touch, especially with people who are grieving, can make a huge difference to people you care about.

Happy Holidays!

 

 

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Grief and Happiness Handbook

Grief and Happiness Cards

Grief and Happiness weekly Free Gatherings

[email protected]

Dream Builder Life Coach

Life Master Consultant

 

 

Filed Under: Change, Creativity, Gratitude, Happiness, Holidays, journaling, Love, Memories, Self-Care, Support Tagged With: Gratitude, grieving, happiness, healthy coping mechanisms, holidays, Joy, memories, practicing gratitude, self-care, writing through grief

Be Your Own Best Friend

November 27, 2025 by Emily Thiroux

So many times, I have heard someone who is grieving say “I’ve lost my best friend.” I understand that feeling, especially when the person being grieved is a spouse. You have had someone you woke up and started the day with. You had common interests. You had someone you can turn to and talk to. Boy, I’m missing my husbands right now just writing this! Yet you still can have a best friend with you all the time!  All you do to find this friend is realize, it’s you!

In early grief when both my husbands died, I have to admit, I was lonely. At the same time, I felt that no one else could take their places, so I sat alone. I realized this wasn’t serving me. Then I remembered how after a long day of work at the theatre, I would go into rehearsals in the evening. When I got home after a twelve hour day, Jacques always had something ready for me to eat. I was so grateful for his thoughtfulness. Now I have learned that if I have been working long hours, I need to remember to eat something healthy, and I smile and remember his love when I do.

Now I am fixing my own healthy meals and taking care of myself. And I have a lovely orchid plant in my living groom that I bought for myself because it brought me joy. I am taking good care of me and enjoy my own company. But I didn’t stop there. I love the company of others and have made many new friends as well as staying in touch with friends I have made throughout my lifetime. I have neighbors who join me every week to share the bounty of our gardens. And I meet with a group we call Art Ladies to paint together, and I am in another group that goes together to plays and musicals. I attend church in California by Zoom because I love the people there. I stay in touch with friends I have had throughout my life by social media, email, and visits.

I have made all these new friends and stayed in touch with old friends because it feeds my soul, and I hope theirs too. I am being my own best friend by nurturing myself with loving relationships with lots of people while I take the best care of me by enjoying being outside watching the clouds go by and watching the beautiful sunsets. I write in my journal and write books to comfort others. I meet incredible people by hosting my popular podcast and help my listeners with the content I provide. I enjoy an occasional scoop of coffee ice cream, and I pretty much do whatever I want to. I love my best friend unconditionally.

Are you your own best friend? If not, what can you do to nurture that relationship? If you are, I am so happy for you!

 

 

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Grief and Happiness Handbook

Grief and Happiness Cards

Grief and Happiness weekly Free Gatherings

[email protected]

Dream Builder Life Coach

Life Master Consultant

 

Filed Under: Change, Grief, Happiness, Loss, Love, Self-Care, Support Tagged With: change, community, friends, Gratitude, grief, grieving, happiness, healthy coping mechanisms, how to deal with grief, self-care, support

Wired for Negativity

November 5, 2025 by Emily Thiroux

In Greg Hamer MD’s book The Mindful Teen, he says: “Our brains are wired in ways that tend to interfere with our ability to be more grateful—and happy. We are programed to have a negativity bias—we tend to remember the negative and forget or marginalize our positive experiences.” When I read that I remember thinking I wish someone would have told me that when I was a teenager.

I realize now that statement doesn’t just apply to teens. My parents rarely said anything to me about something I did or said that was positive, but if I brought home a low grade on a report card, I’d never hear the end of it. I always tried to do my best, but they rarely noticed. I noticed their reactions, and I constantly tried to do things that were positive to make them proud, but if they were, I would never know. I don’t hold this against them now because I realize that they were doing the best they could with what they had learned throughout their lives.

With my own children, I always tried to let them know how beautiful, bright, and loved they were and are still, telling them things I had wished I would have heard when I was growing up.  I do that too with the people I work with, encouraging them to practice self-love and self-care. We are fortunate that our brains may be rewired to focus on gratitude and happiness.  With a little effort and mindfulness we can train our brains to notice and remember the positive instead of the negative.

How does all this work for you? What do you focus on? How do you respond to people you care about?  Can you identify something in your brain you’d like to rewire? My negativity took me a long while to rewire, but with concentration and focus, I have bright, new shiny wiring in my brain I love to use to reflect my positivity and unconditional love and to support to others.

We are fortunate that our brains may be rewired to focus on gratitude and happiness.  With a little effort and mindfulness we can train our brains to notice and remember the positive instead of the negative.

 

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

Grief and Happiness Handbook

Grief and Happiness Cards

Grief and Happiness weekly Free Gatherings

[email protected]

Dream Builder Life Coach

Life Master Consultant

Filed Under: Change, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Judgement, pressure, Support Tagged With: change, Fear, Forgiveness, happiness, how to deal with grief, support

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