Hello, I'm so glad to have you as part of this circle where I share a little something each week or so! If you're new here, welcome! How treating life lessons like Tootsie Roll Pops can help make your life a little sweeter: Life lessons are not items to be completed or crossed off a list. This is decidedly… Continue reading Life lessons are like Tootsie Roll Pops.
I hope you dance.
I love to dance. And for a year and a half now, I have not been able to. So Lee Ann Womack's song that goes, "And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance," even as just a metaphor for life, somewhat breaks my heart. That's because physically, I've been doing… Continue reading I hope you dance.
What is the kindest thing?
Reflections on the practice of self-compassion. I start to feel the pressure in my forehead mount, as the pain in my neck expands, and the surge of dizziness becomes stronger. I've been on a roll washing some dishes in the kitchen sink but now my body calls out to me with a quiet intensity, asking… Continue reading What is the kindest thing?
The Christmas letter.
It was the first Christmas that my dad would not be with us. He wouldn’t be there to make us laugh with goofy stories and facial expressions. He wouldn’t be there to blink in irritation as travel plans went awry. He wouldn’t be there to help me design my annual gingerbread house. And he wouldn’t… Continue reading The Christmas letter.
The thing that changes everything.
I woke up one morning feeling so special. Not in an arrogant, better-than-everyone-else sort of way in which this statement might normally be taken, but in a genuine awareness of how special we all are. You. Me. Everyone. And it is this deepening awareness that so strongly makes me feel the need to tell you so. You… Continue reading The thing that changes everything.
Healing through forgiveness.
Earlier this week, I sat on my bedroom floor, Dino curled up in his bed...my mind returning to lamenting some of the decisions I’ve made… the kind of thing where, just as you get to a new layer of forgiveness, it seems to pop back up--the judgments of others cascading or ping ponging, or whack-a-mole-ing… Continue reading Healing through forgiveness.
The power of connection in grief and loss.
When I lost my dad, I didn’t feel I could connect with other people my age anymore… What did other 20 year old's know about caring for and helping to support a dying parent after college? Everyone else was off living their dreams… While I was stuck in a grief that it felt no one… Continue reading The power of connection in grief and loss.
The Sunday Post: You are enough.
Hello, beautiful souls, I'm going to play with offering a Sunday Post. An email or blog post of inspired goodness for you each week, something to help lift you up and hopefully feel less alone. I love Sunday's. They are so quiet. And today we had the privilege of some sunlight peeking through after the… Continue reading The Sunday Post: You are enough.
You are a brave soul.
"You are a brave soul," she said. And something within me sat upright & at attention, so now I want to share with you that you are a brave soul too. These are the words down a blank sheet of paper upon returning home from an acupuncture appointment. I can still see the desk… Continue reading You are a brave soul.
For the love of peonies.
I glance at the peony on the window sill, and admire its loveliness. It is a large bloom, a light and delicate shade of pink in color. I've known others to rave about peonies but I never quite understood. Perhaps because of never actually seen one in real life. Now I get it, I think… Continue reading For the love of peonies.
Caitlin Sanders 