Help others without reward. Spread goodwill and kindness. These are grace. Grace has been on my mind because it seems to keep coming up. I try to live my life in grace and encourage others to do so. If you Google grace, you'll see the Bible and famous people throughout history talk about it. I … Continue reading Daily Grace
Massage Your Brain
We have become more familiar with terms such as COVID brain fog, Alzheimer's, autoimmune diseases and other brain disorders, especially since the pandemic. A neurologist is a medical doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating, and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system including, but not limited to, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), concussion, epilepsy, … Continue reading Massage Your Brain
Writing is an extension of yourself
Where do you get your ideas? How do you know what to write? How did you find your voice? These are questions I'm often asked. I have always found it therapeutic to write, once I got started. Growing up, I wrote in a diary. In school, I dreaded writing because it was assigned and I … Continue reading Writing is an extension of yourself
Those Cobalt Blues
COVID-19 is more than a virus. It's a test. It's a test of our humanity - our love and compassion towards each other. Grandpa Sam used to call it "Cobalt" and asked to talk about it every day. He said he thought it was all hype - the virus, the pandemic, the vaccinations. So when … Continue reading Those Cobalt Blues
Taking Time
Often we don't realize that time is flying past us until we are celebrating a big event or holiday. I'm one to remind myself daily to stop and breathe. I haven't written in a long time. Life has been busy and priorities shifted. My life has always been busy. So why do I feel like … Continue reading Taking Time
Broken Hope
So many people seem lost. Maybe it's COVID. Maybe it's the times, the political climate. But 2020 seems to have people doubting, fighting and arguing quite a bit. So many opinions. So many losses. Hope is a basic need. When we don't have hope, we feel lost. Hold on to anything or anyone good. Hold … Continue reading Broken Hope
You Matter
Today's post has been weighing heavy on my mind. But it's time to get it out, to share and to hopefully help someone. I'm a spiritual, prayerful person. And I find myself praying more often lately. My heart breaks every time I hear a report. It's not just what I hear in the media. For … Continue reading You Matter
Essentials
How have you coped with being an essential or being categorized as a non-essential? In case you don't know it, you are essential. Each of us plays a role in this world. Continue to support your families, follow your passions, live your dream and do what you need to accomplish while we are blessed to … Continue reading Essentials
Online Dating
I've made it a practice to not edit or delete my posts. But for this topic, I need to edit because of the wonderful updates that are necessary! ~Updated 02/29/2020 I have had some of the most amazing experiences over the last few years of my career. The most satisfying is being an outreach librarian (serving … Continue reading Online Dating
Disappointment
I came across a meme today at a moment when I was feeling overwhelmed and needed some clarity. "Have you ever been so disappointed in someone that you forgive them and don't say anything, but in your head you detach yourself from them completely?" Have you? The first thing I noted was an ah-ha moment … Continue reading Disappointment
Imagine the World
I find myself humming John Lennon's Imagine a lot lately. You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will be as one. I believe in people. We are here for a blip of time. And within that blip we feel a pull to live … Continue reading Imagine the World
Time
Time flies. Time passes. Time gets away from us. Time is precious. Time is short. Time to move on. Time to heal. Time to start again. Time. It's been over 500 days since I wrote on my blog that I started in July 2015. I had poured myself into it, as I do with everything … Continue reading Time
New Year. New You.
In August 2016, my personal and professional life changed forever and I decided it was time to be brave and live my truth, even if it meant living it alone. I'd be lying if I said since then I sleep well, eat right, and get up smiling every day. Instead, I choose to step out … Continue reading New Year. New You.
Growing Pains
Ever since my son started high school in August, I have been thinking quite a bit about growing pains. I can recall from a very young age my Mom telling me that my aches and pains were just growing pains and thinking "when do these growing pains stop?" If you Google growing pains you will get hits … Continue reading Growing Pains
Outside the Box
Recently, I had the honor of speaking at the American Library Association's annual conference, held at McCormick Place in Chicago, with my colleagues Ben Bahl, David Kelsey, and Sarah Yale. Our presentation "Outreach: Outside the Box" dealt with how librarians bring services into communities - outside of the library building "the box". Each of us … Continue reading Outside the Box
Why are we so hard on ourselves
Why are we so hard on ourselves? And by extension, others? We are our own worst critic. I used to be harder on myself. I still am sometimes. Writing this post, for example, was difficult for me. I wondered if my inspiration to write this post was worth exploring. I worried what people would think about … Continue reading Why are we so hard on ourselves
It’s how you look at it
Checking out the beautiful town of Raleigh in North Carolina for a possible future national library conference location, I have been impressed by the beauty of the land and the people. I have been people watching, talking with anyone I make eye contact with, and keeping an open mind. I had an unexpected day … Continue reading It’s how you look at it
Keep Moving
"Keep Moving!" was this month's storytime theme at one of the preschools I visit. We talked about the importance of movement through stretch, yoga, and dance. The children had so much fun and learned how to do the sign language for the word dance. Keep Moving, has been repeating over and over in my head. … Continue reading Keep Moving
Choose Love.
Choose love. That sounds simple enough. Reflect on this. Do we choose love? I think love has more than one meaning. Different images come to mind with different types of love. The love of a parent. The love of a spouse. The love of a friend. The love of a child. The love of a … Continue reading Choose Love.
I stumbled into myself
No matter what your hobby, craft, or passion - in order to showcase your talent, be true to yourself. Sometimes people say they want to 'find their voice' or they are trying to figure out what they are good at doing. The truth is we are trying to discover who we are. Here are some … Continue reading I stumbled into myself