2012 Reflections and Recap

digital upload of color sketch by elysia

Yeah, I’m a couple weeks behind just about every blogger on the planet in posting my reflections on 2012. Oh well. There are lots of reasons I could give, but they’d all be excuses. (Something I’ve gotten pretty dang good at spotting over the past year.) Truth is, I wasn’t all that jazzed about posting [...]

Change Is Good But Not Always Fast

Photo Common Jay Butterfly on Yellow Chrysanthemum

A quick peek at the dates on my posts shows I’ve been somewhat absent recently. The fact is I needed time to think about, wonder about and evaluate recent choices and paths. Those sessions revealed I wasn’t living fully my core passions and helped clarify what those passions TRULY are: (1) teaching (2) writing (3) [...]

Weekend in Review: Sunshine and Motivation

Photo Sun Through Trees With Snow

It’s no secret, when the sun is out, my motivation is limitless. But if it’s dreary and overcast, well, let’s just say it takes all my natural willpower to get stuff done. Does that make me a solar-powered mom? Possibly. So I took advantage of the solar-powered motivation to: catch up on three baskets of [...]

Happy Christmas! And Remember to Count Your Blessings

Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) photo

It really feels like Christmas around here: Everything is still covered in snow, the air smells of fireplaces ablaze at my neighbors’ houses down the road, and my daughter squeals unexpectedly every now and then – purely from being overwhelmed with excitement. We’re off to my mother’s for a day filled with cooking, baking, eating [...]

Are You Friends with the Green-Eyed Monster?

Jealousy Green eyes with green jewels

Or, are you the Green-Eyed Monster’s nemesis? Recent events have forced me to contemplate a major source of conflict in relationships: jealousy. It’s crazy the extent to which some people will go to feel in control of the person they love. From my experience, the tighter hold you feel you need on your partner, the [...]

Man Repellent of the Feline Persuasion

Photo Esmerelda aka Squeaker

Whilst I cleaned the litter boxes and endured the scent of ammonia and feces – part of a daily ritual my cats gather to watch – I contemplated today’s post and decided it was time to pay homage to the feline members of my family. Although I love them like any other family member, the [...]

A Conversation With My Kid About Religion

Don’t ask me how this conversation came up. Some days my daughter and I hop from one topic to the next as quickly as Ohio’s weather changes. And for everyone not familiar with Ohio weather, our motto is, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.” One of the jobs as my daughter’s [...]

I Need Help, the Mental Kind

Okay, this is going to be one of the most personal situations I’ve ever shared on my blog. But I’m seriously unable to come to my own conclusion and I need feedback from both men and women. I’ve been reading articles and forums and blogs on the subject in an effort to find something close [...]

Misery Loves Company – I Won’t Be Yours

Misery loves company, I will not be yours. You built your prison and filled it with stories instead of memories. You wag that judgmental finger in my face. It’s sad, watching you, clinging to your blame. I am responsible for me, not you. Take off the victim glasses. See the world through the clear eyes [...]