Earth Day was on April 22, and there were many activities and celebrations designed to make us think about how we are treating the earth. Maybe this year on May 8, Mother’s Day, we can continue the conversations and actions to save Mother Earth. Climate change is real, and pollution is an issue we can’t put off any longer. Fires are raging in the droughts of the southwest and west. Blizzards keep popping up even ...
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We’ve already had the first day of Spring in March, but now it’s really beginning to show. Although, the sunshine and warmth have been welcome, here in Southwest Missouri those days have been interspersed with some cold, rainy, gloomy days. Up and down the temperatures free flow, and we never know what to expect when we get up in the morning. One thing the rain has done is green up my grass, planted in the ...
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March is upon us, the month that ends the first quarter of the year. What are we going to do with this month? What will it bring? Two things: spring and daylight savings time. But what kind of attitude will it bring? Or perspective? Will there be a shift inside us that may take us down a different path? I am following Julia Cameron’s 12-week creativity program. We read her book, The Artist’s Way, write ...
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Everyone knows that Valentine’s Day, the day of love, is celebrated on February 14, but did you know that it’s also National Donor Day (or National Organ Donor Day)? The observance focuses on five different types of donations: Organs – Tissues – Marrow – Platelets – Blood. Many nonprofit health organizations sponsor blood and marrow drives and organ/tissue sign-ups across the nation. Approximately every two seconds, there is someone in the U.S. who needs blood, ...
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So, what’s new? Isn’t there supposed to be a new beginning at this time of year? The key phrase is “supposed to be.” I try to not suppose anything, because it often just brings grief. We can hope for something new to begin this year, to flush out the old and then work toward the new. Or maybe you’re okay with the status quo. Nothing wrong with that – if you’re happy and satisfied with ...
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Another year is almost over, and we’re still grappling with Covid-19. Whether or not you got the vaccine, it’s still a little scary wondering if you will get the virus. I’m still wearing my mask in indoor public places, even though so many are not. I wonder how this holiday season will go with many people deciding to celebrate as they have in the past, traveling and partying and spending a lot of time indoors ...
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It’s sunny today, but cold and breezy. I will probably walk later when it’s a little warmer, but for now I’m looking at the bright day from my window. The trees have turned! It is beautiful here in Southwest Missouri. I am grateful for everything I can see out my window. This is a month especially for gratitude. Thanksgiving is on the 25th this year, and the first thing I am thankful for is that ...
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I am posting this early so you can get prepared for World Smile Day on Friday, October 1. The first Friday of October every year is World Smile Day. What a wonderful idea that originated with the yellow smiley face icon created by Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Massachusetts, who designed it for a State Mutual Life Insurance company advertising campaign in 1963. His original intent was that it would spread goodwill and cheer ...
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Most of us are celebrating and honoring those first responders to Covid-19 and other major health and disaster issues especially in this month of Labor Day. We’ve taken them for granted in the past, but recently we have been putting them up front and center recognizing their tireless work in these, “the worst of times.” They represent some of the traits in people that are good about our country: bravery, resilience, compassion, dedication, and respect ...
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As I write this I have just returned from the grocery store with quite a few bags of food. I don’t have to think about what I can buy or how much, but there are those in our city and country who can’t even go to the grocery store let alone buy sufficient food for themselves or their families. In this rich country of plenty, no one should have to go hungry, but there are ...
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