ON THE FIRST of each year, I set aside several hours for reflection before setting my goals for the year. This time of reflection is a grounding ritual I’ve come to love and rely on, as it allows me to perform a “reset.” By reset, I mean that I evaluate […]
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” ~ Maya Angelou ~ THERE’S AN OLD SAYING: “The only constant in life is change.” If that’s true, and I believe it is, you’d think that we’d all be […]
I think I’ve figured out why old people talk so much about their aches and pains and bodily functions. It’s because, no matter how long they’ve been dealing with those aches and pains, they’re surprised by the effects aging has on their bodies. I’ve come to this conclusion because I, too, […]
‘Tis the season for sending holiday cards and letters. Personally, I love to receive these newsy letters from friends and relatives. Sure, they can be a little on the rosy side (who wants to write about life’s depressing details and send them out during the holidays for heaven’s sake!), but […]
From December 31 to January 1 is a just a flip of the calendar page from one day to the next. Nothing more. But there’s something about hanging a fresh, new calendar on the wall (pressing the forward button on your electronic calendar) — something about the number 1 — […]
I’m having one of those times. You know—when it’s difficult to keep track of where you’ve been, where you’re going, and what you need to do next. And when I find myself here, in the middle of one of these times, I know that I’ve been letting my commitments rule […]
Holidays such as Memorial Day lend themselves to thinking about the many expressions grief takes in our lives. For some, the holiday weekend has no personal connections beyond an opportunity for an extra vacation day and barbecue. For others, Memorial Day is a real connection to a loved one’s death […]
I’ve got the title line from The Doors’ song, “Break on Through to the Other side,” running through my head this morning. (Not the rest of the song, which doesn’t make much sense to me, just the one line.) The words seem to exhort me to keep trying, to never […]
I can’t help but breathe deeply. The world is blossoming around me, coming to life through leaf and stem, flower and fragrance. With the late spring rains and near-constant cloud cover, it hasn’t been nearly warm enough for me, but the pink dogwood outside my back door doesn’t seem to […]
While choosing which journal writing techniques to include in my course, Journaling for Memoir Writers, I was reminded of the power of Legacy Letters to explore aspects of ourselves and our life experiences we wish to preserve for the future—whether it’s as a gift for friends and family members or […]
Last week’s journal writing prompts explored our first memories. This week, we move up to the next period of our lives—what I call “the early years.” The early years begin at roughly kindergarten and end at the beginning of middle school. For me, it was from age four to ten. […]
What’s the first thing you remember? Do you wonder, Why do I remember that event, out of all the possible events in my early life? In my first memory, I am in a strange bedroom with sleek, blonde furniture instead of the familiar, warm cherry bedroom set my parents own. […]
