I am at the mall grabbing lunch at Norstrom Cafe.  One of my fav places to nosh. A young girl in front of me appears to be searching for payment and urges me to go before her. I pay for my food and notice she is now asking others to go in front of her. It…

When I was a baby my family experienced a house fire in the home my parents were renting. Moving would be complicated. The strain of my dad’s drinking was shifting the financial burden to my mother. And they did not have the money to put down on a house. Therefore, my mom did what she always…

I love sending thank you cards. In fact, I just love sending cards. I do not need a reason. Throughout the years I have always believed in the value of the written word. I am, after all, a writer.  Recently, I have felt the need to discover other meaningful avenues to say thank you.  In the…

Many years ago I read an article about the four traits of happy people.  I never forgot them. They were Optimism, Extroversion, Self-Esteem and a Sense of Being in Control. Before my marital problems, I can honestly say I spent my entire life feeling happy. There were definite challenges along the way. No life is…

Let’s face it, we all initially strive for utopia. We want to find the perfect job and have the perfect wedding. We will avoid the parenting mistakes our parents made and the list goes on. We start out thinking we know it all and receiving advice is a hit our ego isn’t willing to take.…

I miss Oprah. The Golden Globes reminded us exactly why daily television just isn’t the same without her. Oprah is what I refer to as a ‘Missionary of Life.’ She is devoted to helping others, lifting them up and carrying forward profound messages. Few possess the raw, authentic and purposeful sincerity to achieve such great things…

It’s no secret I am incredibly proud to hail from a family of first responders.  Here’s the thing. When you belong to a family of selfless heroes you don’t hear all of their stories. This is simply what they do. And though you could not be prouder you tend to forget the extent of their bravery.…

People seem to believe there are sides in a divorce. In actuality, there are not. I know what you’re thinking, bear with me. First, let me preface this by saying no mature, confident adult expects another human being to take sides. What they do expect is sincere friendship.  And friends who see the situation accurately…

Just when your life is moving forward you (me) do something stupid like watch a cute young couple’s wedding video. Takes me back to the day I sat in my car only weeks into my divorce listening to my honeymoon song. Really? Why didn’t I just change the radio station??!! But noooooo, I just had…

In this era of data overload, giving away the coveted email address is something most do with trepidation. After all, it’s already difficult enough to navigate the ever overflowing virtual inbox. The trick is finding the right content, thus making it worth the read. The following five sites are chock full of health, wellness, beauty,…

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