Everyday Simple

After a rare full day of snow, we couldn’t stay inside.  Unfortunately, no sticky snow with which to get too creative, but there’s lots of lovely powder to play in!

We had barely pulled into the bank drive-through when my daughter behind me started asking for a sucker in her croaky, congested voice.  I couldn’t help but smile because she sounded so cute — a survival of the species tactic.  Fortunately, my maternal sense kicked in.
“Suckers are full of sugar, and sugar is not good [...]

Have I written about faith before? (Sorry, I can’t help the sweet sarcasm!)  I know I have.  I know I’ve mentioned that faith becomes most apparent when we take the leap from security, routine, and stability and plunge into unchartered territory.  Often this happens when we act on our intuition, trying to follow our hearts, [...]

The Haitian earthquake happened January 12th.  I heard about it first in an e-mail from my priest to the congregation.  I finally made the conscious decision to look at photos on-line on Monday, the 18th.  The night before, over an impromptu dinner with friends, one of them told me, “Don’t look.  You’ll be buying a [...]

I was trying to sit and help my eldest study for the upcoming spelling bee. Everything has felt like an effort these past couple of days, and add to that the fact that it’s after eight and in the bedtime hour. My second oldest tells us he still has homework to do, and [...]

mantra (per Merriam-Webster):
Etymology: Sanskrit, sacred counsel, formula, from manyate he thinks; akin to Latin mens mind — more at mind
Date: 1795
: a mystical formula of invocation or incantation (as in Hinduism)

2010 could probably use some sacred counsel, thought and incantation.  In fact, writer/blogger Seth Godin says two of the most prominent themes [...]

In my last post, I mentioned mindfulness.  It’s a buzzword these days.  Just be mindful, and all will be well.  That would be like me saying to live every day simply.  In an unapologetically Buddhist way, mindfulness is that easy and that difficult, just as living life simply is.  Read that as you will.
Only you [...]

It may not make sense to you, but it does to me.

The day’s light gone, the fireplace warm and inviting, all the notions of productivity flee, and I want to sit and (at least pretend to) knit by the fire . . . perhaps even watch a new DVD.  “We could just go to bed [...]

My husband put on his Facebook post, “HOW TO: Have four sick kids at once.  1) Have four kids.  2) Have one of the four kids be sick.  3) Mix well on a snow day.”  The next day, naturally, he had to post a “how to have a sick dad.”  The positive side is that [...]

Dear Hearts (yes, this includes you),
I remember the night I sat in a class about the “authentic” journey, making a list of those I admire.  I remember the shock, near horror, of being told that I possess the qualities of those I admire.  How could I possibly possess their qualities, their potential?  But my denial [...]