All or Nothing
Last night my youngest daughter remembered she had left some of her school books in my husbands’ truck. It was 10:30pm. She was asking us to go out to the truck with her because she was scared. She knew it was irrational, but she could not shake it. I asked her to think of…
Allowing the Way Others Grieve
July 16, 2020 caught my family off guard. About 9am I had just pulled into the driveway from playing tennis when I got a call from my brother. The VA Care Center where our Dad was living had just called Mom to tell her that Dad was dying and that she should come as soon…
Doing Your Best
I received a txt from my oldest daughter this afternoon: “Hey! I’m working on a podcast project for school and was wondering if you’d be interested in being my interviewee (insert smiley face with sunglasses). My topic is focused on what it’s like to be a stay at home mom. Do you have time tomorrow…
Knowing What We Want
My Coach asks me some pretty powerful questions. Recently I was looking for suggestions for a good book about understanding emotions, and since she is an Emotions Coach I started with her. She came back with, “What are you looking for specifically?” When I talked to her about losing weight for my daughter’s wedding in…
Not Knowing
In June of 1999 I was 5 months pregnant with my third baby girl and I had the opportunity to travel to Berlin, Meissen and Dresden, Germany to explore the birthplace of my Great Great Grandfather with 75 of his descendants, my immediate and distant relatives. The first leg of my flight was from Detroit,…
What We Think We Want
Experiencing my Mother’s death was a profound experience for me. For almost 18 months I prayed that I would be able to be with her when she passed away. I thought it was what I wanted. And then it happened. At 2:42am on November 15th, I was the only one at Mom’s bedside when she…
What We Know At The Time
When I was 19 I came up with a brilliant solution to a minor problem. I shared a small Toyota truck with my mom, but she must have been using it, because on this particular day I got permission to use my dad’s car; a white 1983 Caprice Classic. It was big and boat-like, and…
Stressed or Strengthened?
Muscles are made of thousands of fibers, that are kind of elastic in nature. When a muscle is exerted, it sustains tiny tears. The tiny fibers of the muscle are actually damaged. Then the body repairs those damages, and the muscle size is increased. Repeat this process with consistency a few times a week, by…
Beliefs From Childhood
My husband is 50% German. His mother and grandmother escaped from East Germany in 1951 and eventually joined other family members who had already settled in Salt Lake City, UT. Paul, my husband, grew up with many German influences; the food, holiday traditions, the language, lederhosen…. and coffee. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ…
A Job With Benefits
It’s commonly known that when we feel purposeful, we live longer, fuller lives. It’s also well known that challenges are stressful. Let’s now consider how stressful challenges create purpose, and therefore, longer and fuller lives. You with me? Consider an aging couple; the husband’s health is declining, his wife takes on more and more duties…