Let’s see. So far we’ve had Black Friday that started on Thursday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and today is Giving Tuesday. The stores are playing Christmas music, the aisles are packed with way more stuff than during the rest of the year, and retailers want our money. On Black Friday my husband and I bought a can of stain ... Read More »
Category Archives: Holidays
Holidays & Family: How to Handle It All
Here we are in mid-December and it’s impossible not to notice the winter holiday season. I only have 1 daughter coming home for 4 days. Others are more fortunate to have a lot of holiday company. Or are they? I remember one set of grandparents proudly telling us about how all their kids and grandkids came home and stayed with ... Read More »
Thanksgiving & Joy
Thanksgiving. It’s almost here. This year especially, people have asked me what I’m doing for Thanksgiving. For the longest time I didn’t have an answer other than that I would be thankful and would eat something somewhere. Simply being alive, having the opportunity eat, having choices about what to do for the day are things to be thankful for. This ... Read More »
How Do You Fill an Empty Space?
Mothers Day is almost here. For the first time in my life I’m not making any plans with my family for that day. My daughters won’t be home so there will be of fuss over my motherhood. My mother died two and a half months ago so I won’t have the pleasure of treating her to anything special. I feel ... Read More »
3 Ways to Make the Most of the Holidays
In The Way to Love: The Last Meditation of Anthony De Mello DeMello writes, “There is not a single moment of your life when you do not have everything you need to be happy…The reason why you are unhappy is because you are focusing on what you do not have rather than what you have right now.” These words ring ... Read More »
5 Tips for Spending the Holidays with Elderly Parents
We’re in the middle of the winter holiday season. Retailers are hoping to sell you a lot of things, television is showing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and other Christmas specials, the mailbox is full of catalogs proclaiming holiday deals. It seems there are a lot of things we’re supposed to do: be happy, shop, eat, get ... Read More »
Giving Thanks in Times of Difficulty
Talk of Thanksgiving, food, and family swirls around me. My daughters are coming home, a meal is planned, and we’re looking forward to each other’s company. None of us knows what really to expect, however. Two weeks ago we were led to believe that my mother would no longer be with us by Thanksgiving. We all gathered and said our ... Read More »