When was the last time you crossed everything off your daily to-do list?We love the sense of completion that comes from owning the day, but so often we end up feeling like the day owned us.Part of the challenge is that some of us, like...
So often, bad moments stick with us like Velcro, and good moments slide away like eggs cooked in a nonstick pan. I recently read something I really liked. When Toni Morrison – the literary giant who died last year – was asked what it felt like to get...
“I had a hard day,” I said to my husband as I sat down on the couch after reading the girls a story and kissing them goodnight.My husband paused, then asked, “Want to talk about it?”“Nope, I don’t think I do,” I replied, pulling a...
In the wake of tragedy, I often find myself reflecting on the way seemingly trivial choices can have far-reaching effects. On an average day, we make about 35,000 choices – which street to take to work, which flight to book, which errand to squeeze into the lunch hour. Choice...
Mister Rogers once said there were three ways to ultimate success:The first way is to be kind.The second way is to be kind.The third way is to be kind.When working to help people move in the direction of change, the quiet strength of kindness and...
Before throwing clothes into the washing machine, I usually do a quick check in the pockets to remove forgotten odds and ends. Yesterday, in the pocket of Ella’s yellow sweater, I found a rock, a stick, a marble, two leaves and a penny.As I held...
There are so many tiny joys we skip right over throughout the day. My girls are much better at recognizing these than I am. Just yesterday, they noticed and were nearly overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude about an extra bright star in the sky, a...
I’m going to contradict the typical New Year’s message – you actually don’t need to become a whole new you in 2020. Sometimes we focus so much on what should be fixed – especially in ourselves. And all that ruminating on the not-so-good can make us...
For the past few Christmases, I have been playing a little game with Amazon. Each year, as the 25th of December nears, I place my orders closer and closer to the two-day Prime shipping deadline to see just how last-minute I can get to having packages delivered free....
Doubt had crept into Emma’s enchantment with Santa. As we stood in line at the mall, I could see her eyes scanning Santa’s enchanted village of candy canes and elves. She glanced toward the jolly, bearded man who was sitting in the big, red chair. I...