Love
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Letting Your Soul Show
Recently I received an email from a conscientious woman whom I know to be devoted to warming the world in her own special ways. She was venting frustration over this year’s onslaught of holiday greeting cards that felt, well, obligatory to her. To put it in her words “…it concerns me a bit that people are so busy, and/or don’t take the time to write a little personal note.” This made me smile with empathy. We are trained to live our lives a very specific way. I mean that word–trained. I speak to the homes we are raised in, the social circles that support us, the communities and societies that extend out from each…
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Snowflakes and Christmas Carols (Why We Need Christmas This Year).
Under normal circumstances, this is an interesting time of year. The idyllic mixes with reality and creates for each of us an individual holiday picture. Over the course of the past twelve months, we have lived through triumphs and hardships, trials and tribulations, all personal and all meaningful. These events set the tone for each of our respective Christmas seasons. And we, as humans, emotionally attach ourselves to material possessions to set the perfect stage for Santa. The perfect tree; the perfect gift; the perfect dinner party. Get the carols on. Send the cards out. Go through the motions, the hustle and bustle and feel good. Send the…
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Creating Family Traditions at Christmas
There are few holidays that hold the place of Christmas for family traditions. Through the years we create and maintain traditions that have a special place in our memories. Some are sacred and never change, while others are replaced with a new tradition that fits the family dynamics at the time. When our son was growing up, the day after Thanksgiving we gathered with extended family and turkey leftovers and drove to Santa’s Acres to cut down the perfect tree. When our son went off to college, we purchased our first pre-lit tree. I used my creative side to decorate it in elegant gold and white ornaments, garlands, flowers…
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How To Talk to Our Children About a Tragedy
Our country faced one of the saddest days in our history yesterday with the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It is beyond comprehension that a person could do such a thing to little children. Our children are faced with hearing about this frightening experience as they might hear bits and pieces about it on the news or hear about it at school. The principal at my daughter’s elementary school sent out a letter last night and provided some resources on how best to talk to your children about this tragedy if you find it appropriate. I am providing this resource from The National Association of School Psychologists verbatim so you can…
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Does Raising Children Dead End Your Dreams?
Torn between doing what you love and being a good mom, let me share my experience of how I kept my dreams alive while raising my kids. Before becoming a mom, I thought I’d have to give up my personal desires but, to my surprise and delight, my children were a catalyst for my dreaming new dreams…even better dreams for my career and life goals. You see I liked what I was doing—working on marketing projects for a high tech company—but I didn’t like the structure of a 9 to 5 schedule. I worked hard to make myself a valuable employee who could work independently, make deadlines, and add…
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Project Night Night Helps Children Feel Valued and Safe
Last year I came across an organization that melted my heart. It is called Project Night Night and was started by Kendra Robins in 2005 because she saw a need to provide some comfort for children who are displaced out of their home into shelters due to domestic violence or financial reasons. Surprisingly, 1 in 50 American children will face homelessness in her or his lifetime. Together with volunteers across the country they have provided over 30,000 tote bags to over 700 shelters that are filled with a stuffed animal, an age-appropriate book and a soft blanket to help ease the fear and worry they might have. I had a chance to speak to Kendra about their…