Aspirations All Year Long

Aspirations All Year Long

I wake to crystal skies, thrilled that the first day of this year brings delightful sunshine to warm the chilly nip in the air. Although my head hit the pillow well after midnight, I am nudged out of sleep as glittering rays of sunlight bathe my face. My body feels the loss of my customary […]

Be Here

Be Here

My yoga practice this evening was especially welcome after a series of long and intense work days. Although my Saturday and Sunday yoga sessions are a joy, I especially look forward to the two nights of the week that bring me to my yoga mat. These weeknight sessions allow me to restore myself after giving […]

Connecting the Snowflakes

Connecting the Snowflakes

This past Friday evening, my home was filled to overflowing with some of my dearest friends and neighbors. As each guest came in from the cold, I offered warm embraces and heartfelt smiles. Eyes sparkling, hands met, lips kissed, and spirits shone. The presence of each person was a gift, the greatest gift I could […]

Honey and Garlic

Honey and Garlic

Ah, New Year?s Eve is nearly upon us. This evening, well after the winter sun sets, will find me dining and dancing at a club?a very different New Year?s Eve to come my way. I?m the kind of gal who often prefers spending more than a few precious holiday evenings at home with a toasty […]

The Sweetest of Mothers

The Sweetest of Mothers

Dressed in elegant black evening attire (shades of classic Audrey Hepburn in ?Breakfast at Tiffany?s?), I stopped to visit my mother on my way to a holiday event. Although her ability to communicate verbally has been diminished by a series of strokes, her eyes sparkled more brightly than the rhinestone jewels at my neck. A […]

Gratitude for Pleasures Great and Small

Gratitude for Pleasures Great and Small

The house is still, and those most precious to me are sleeping soundly, nestled in the warmth of their beds. Pup, too, is fast asleep. As I move softly in the early dawn to kiss sweet foreheads, pup?s gentle snore offers reassurance that all is in its rightful place. Rain had poured through the night, […]

The Ever-learning Spirit

The Ever-learning Spirit

On three occasions yesterday, I was reminded of the importance of maintaining a studied relationship with one?s greatest student, the self. A favorite mantra of mine, adopted from Michelangelo, is ?Ancora Imparo.? Translated into English, ?I am still learning,? or ?Yet I am learning? is a phrase that often serves to remind me of the […]

Pieces of Me, Pieces of You

Pieces of Me, Pieces of You

I hurried through my stack of tasks this morning to make a longed-for appointment with a dear friend. I had been given an opportunity to reconnect with a sister-of-the-heart that I had known since my teenage years as a wild, unruly hoyden. Heels tapping, I rushed across the parking lot in the chilly autumn air. […]

Vegetable Soup and Good Souls

Vegetable Soup and Good Souls

My early morning walk found me captivated by the weighty feeling cast by the sulky gray sky. Seeming to herald rain, the mood in the air was both invigorating and ominous; I was undaunted by the looming cascade of slate-hued clouds. Pup trotting by my side, we sauntered through topaz and garnet-toned leaves; his four […]

Step by Step

Step by Step

This past weekend I was blessed to spend a bit of time with a wonderful friend who has been part of my life since we met in eighth grade. Although he now lives in Oklahoma, it?s our good fortune that he returns ?home? now and again to visit his family and friends. We?ve still much […]