I had to decide, consciously, that my home was where I was going to focus my time, energy, and attention. (And this is my decision — you, dear reader, may disagree and choose a different path.) Since my kids need someone to be available for them all the time and just in case — why shouldn’t it be me?

When my sister ́s letter request was posted in February, I was jittery with excitement. But I didn’t actually realize what was happening until I got the first letter out of our mailbox.

In a culture that seeks to escape work with all they’ve got (and truthfully, that used to be my goal too), God says work is good - it's holy.

I’m no travel guru and won’t pretend to be able to give you my top 10 travel tips, but I will share with you some stories, hopefully inspiring you in your own journeys.

We know from the concept of love languages--five ways we all give and receive love as identified by Dr. Gary Chapman--that certain actions and words mean more to some of us than others. In the same way, with any non-romantic relationships, friendships, or family in your life, we can take the time to show kindness in a way that resonates more deeply. As you take time to contemplate what this might mean for the person in your life, here are three questions to ask yourself to lead you towards discovering the kindness-spreading magic.

Perhaps the new normal even changes frequently. Life is different. It’s terrifying; it's anxiety-provoking. But it’s also beautiful. Precious moments and memories await you. It will be wonderful, it will be hard, but it will also be rewarding.

Most of the time when I read I want to escape: to go on an adventure, to be thrilled and satisfied. Other times (and I am often unaware of this craving), I need a book that makes me think--a book that perhaps asks more questions than it answers, but nevertheless has me feeling better about what I don’t know.

This is a list of those types of books. Thoughtful books. Books that are calm and comforting amidst chaos and confusion. Books that get readers thinking differently, yet don’t ask too much of them. Mindful books. Not books about mindfulness or its practice, but rather books that practice at being mindful.

It is a sad truth that many people today feel lonely, and a global pandemic has not helped. How do we reach out to those we know who are lonely? Obviously, you could write them a letter (you were expecting that on this blog, weren’t you?!), but here are some additional practical and creative ways to let them know you are thinking of them, that they are important, and that they are loved.

What would happen though, if instead of looking at our feet, waiting for the next thing to run us over, we trusted our balance. We trusted that we can remain steady, and that if we fall, we will still be ok. And even if we aren’t ok--we will get there.

For years I have held onto this idea of authenticity, of growing in my own self-awareness and self-acceptance, recognizing I have something good to offer the world as myself. No need for pretenses or performances or mirages. If I am to be accepted, it should be as myself, not a caricature of how I wish to be perceived.

What do we remember about ourselves, when we surround ourselves with these tiny joys? As we move a thumb idly over the sea-smoothed surface of a shell, what, or whom, do we reconnect with?

The short version of the story is that on an ordinary day in 2018, I passed out at home after a massage. Ten minutes later, I woke up on the floor to discover, to my horror, that I was paralyzed. I literally couldn’t move. That was (and still is) the single scariest moment of my life. My brain had basically shut off communication to my body, but I was totally conscious and coherent.

Here are some tips to find a lasting love for volunteering!

While 40 is considered the midpoint of your life, we all know that you don’t make it that far without a little help. I wanted to celebrate forty in style, but I also wanted to acknowledge forty people that made a positive impact in my life. I wanted to use my birthday as an opportunity to thank them for helping me become the person I am.

I’ve been writing this letter to my birth mom in bits and pieces throughout the years—words trailing when inspiration flows like a staggering stream. I’ll admit, the words feel like mismatched puzzle pieces without a reference picture. How do I convey the assurance I ache to give a woman I’ll probably never meet?

I’ve found five strategies to be particularly helpful to pursue my dreams and goals without putting myself or my dreams in a box. However, don’t let these ideas simply evolve into another goal post or benchmark for your plan. These strategies are meant to inspire you to live your dreams without the need to plan your life in charts and checkboxes.

It is hard to deny the power of love. A difficult situation can almost always be turned around when one person decides to bring love in. That is why I get up every morning and choose to love my husband with breakfast. When I don’t feel love, I do love. The doing creates something in me. If I want there to be joy, happiness, and love in my marriage, I have to do my part to bring what I can offer to the table.

In the past year and a half, I’ve been trying to get back to that younger version of myself by getting in touch with how moving my body makes me feel. To think of exercise as “play-time,” rather than a chore necessary to ensure that I look a certain way, I’ve developed this list that hopefully you find useful too.

It happened. Toxicity in your inbox. Clean up in aisle 7. Now what do you do?

You have the power to transform that uncomfortable moment into something much more needed in the world, I believe. Love. And compassion. Here’s how.

Learning the harp has become a unique spiritual discipline for me, teaching me lessons in becoming a beginner, creating for creativity's sake, and remembering that life is long.