The Gift of Presence

We don’t need a special reason, or season, to show up for people, to let others know that we care. We each have our own unique ways of expressing and receiving love. Sometimes we need to be reminded that our lives matter. There is no greater ‘gift’ to share than one’s loving presence…

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Choosing Hope

Please forgive me for taking some time to wrap my mind around what my heart knows to be true. Disheartened by the discord in a country I love, I initially wrote a blog titled, “It’s Not OK!”, but I couldn’t bring myself to publish it…

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Path to Peace, Acceptance and Healing

Have you ever received a piece of news that stopped you in your tracks? One of the scariest pieces of news that shook my world was: “I’m sorry to tell you this, but you have cancer!” …

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For The Love Of Trees

Trees are amazing beings! They have more similarities to humans than I had realized.  In reading the book “The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben, I learned that “trees are social beings and have families…

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BEING HAPPY IS HEALTHY FOR YOU!

Studies show that happiness is good for your health. In Greater Good Magazine, (Greater Berkely.edu), Kira Newman wrote: Six Ways Happiness Is Good for Your Health: “Happiness protects your heart, strengthens your immune system, combats stress, gives you fewer aches and pains, combats disease and disability, and lengthens our lives.” (I’m IN!)…

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It’s Never Too Late!

There are some people who see a need in the world, and can’t NOT do something about it – and in a BIG WAY! Rachelle Zola is such a person. And while I have the utmost respect for Rachelle and the ways she has chosen to make a difference, I sometimes wonder where she gets this compulsion and courage…

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From “OTHER-ING” to ACCEPTING OTHERS

Small towns can have a reputation for being cliquish or prejudiced, but it wasn’t my experience growing up. Southbridge was a New England town of 18,000, predominantly French, with a good representation of Italians, Irish, Polish, and later, Spanish residents. My French grandmother (Memere), who had been born the oldest of 21 children in Quebec, would later move with her husband to the USA…

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Is Life Like a Box of Chocolates?

According to Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” I never liked those boxes of assorted chocolates or being offered a choice of one when I didn’t know what was in it. I will admit to being fussy, and especially not liking things with nuts in them…

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Where There Is HOPE

I’ve decided to start this year, not writing a list of resolutions, but thinking of the one word that would guide me in how I want to live and experience this new year. HOPE! Whether in casual encounters or gatherings of family and friends, I know that I feel most hopeful when I can connect on a kinder, more loving, and personal level…

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If I Had One More Tomorrow . . .

We get reminders daily that life is fragile and limited. There are usually no warnings that tomorrow may be our last. Would you act differently if you knew? And if so, how would you spend your last day and moments? If I had one more tomorrow, I would get out from behind my desk and take myself for a walk to the nearest big tree…

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