I’ve never understood the hype surrounding New Year’s Eve.
I’ve never understood the idea of being excited about one year rolling into the
next. Even when Y2K was about to happen, although I found it interesting to be
living through a millennial changeover, I wasn’t really excited. It seemed to
me that January 1st, 2000 would be pretty much the same as January 1st, 1999.
And, sure enough, for me, it was.
But somehow, this New Year’s Eve was different.
Over the past few months,...
This time of year is a time many people think about giving to charities. Some people hope to get a tax break, some give because they feel strongly about the mission of the charity because they have some personal connection, some give because they want to “give back” and hope to make a difference in others’ lives. Individuals give for different reasons.
From Greater Good Magazine of UC Berkley, they relay 5 Ways Giving Is Good for You* with some research to back...
I wouldn’t have thought attending a memorial service in the
darkness of mid-December would make me feel better about life, and kindle my Christmas spirit, but
strangely—and wonderfully—it did.
The memorial honored the life of Jack Thomas, the father of
two of my closest childhood friends, Valerie and Jacquelyn. Jack (always “Mr.
Thomas” to me) was also a close friend of my parents, so he is firmly fixed in
the memories of my youth.
On the day of the memorial I began feeling nostalgic...
“Christmas is coming . . . and I can’t get out of its way!”
The words of the comic strip made me groan and smile at the same time, because that’s exactly how I felt.
I had so much to do: so much to buy, so
much to make, so much to wrap, so much to bake, so much to decorate, so many
cards to write . . .
There were so many expectations.
And there was so much fear that if I didn’t do all of it, and do it well, people would think less of me.
If I had asked...
As I began to make plans for Thanksgiving, I found myself remembering what my life was like as Thanksgiving approached 10 years ago, and how the events of that time led me to develop one of the best habits I’ve ever had.
My husband Bill and I were seriously talking about selling our house, quitting our jobs, and leaving the life we knew, to make a move of 4,000 miles to be near our elderly mothers.
It was a scary proposition. There were so many uncertainties. Where would we live? Would we find...
