Picture this scene.  Three young children are playing in the front yard with Dad sitting in a chair watching them. Two of them are playing an outside game with balls and the other one is riding the bike up and down the sidewalk.  Dad often walks along beside the bike riders as they are allowed to only travel a short distance in front of the house.  This is a busy street, so Dad is protective as these kids move around and play. Read more »

The following is a true story, shared by a friend.  It is also my story and yours.  We often think we have left the past behind only to have it jump up and come to life in the most unexpected of times. This story reflects how the imprint of a childhood experience can have a present day impact. Sara was bullied when she was a child and things were often taken away from her. She felt angry and often had bruises and scars from fighting to protect herself. What she didn’t realize was that this long-ago bullying was still a button or trigger for her. Read more »

Sometimes we get our priorities mixed up. We get caught up in the importance of the trappings of the world —- money, status, material things or culture.  When this happens they rise to the top of the heap in importance.  Then for some of us, our own self-importance or ego is the highest priority.  In the last few weeks, there are been some incidents that have pointed this out to me. Consider the following stories. Read more »

Last Sunday in the early evening we were driving home from St. Louis.  As we got in the car to leave I noticed the bank of clouds to the West.  It wasn’t long before we drove into a terrific storm.  The rain was coming down so hard that the windshield wipers couldn’t keep up, even at high speed. At one point the wind was so strong that sheets of rain were blowing sideways across the road.  When these hit, I hung onto the steering wheel so that we were not blown off the road. Since I was the driver, I had to decide to keep on going or pull over. With hands glued to the steering wheel, leaning forward to see better, we drove at 15 miles an hour, and kept going.  Actually it would have been equally dangerous to pull off and stop.  We made it through the worst of the first storm, only to run into more storms that were just as strong. Read more »

I got an e-mail yesterday and the first words were, “You’re special!”  I stopped! Me, special? You’ve got to be kidding! I’m not special, I’m just ordinary. Then I stopped again, listening to my own self-talk.  I.M. Heart would tell me that I am special. Everyone else is also special, each in our own way.  However, many of us don’t believe there is anything about us that is distinctive, exceptional, extraordinary or even wonderfully common like everyone else. Maybe, my dear friends, it’s time for all of us to wake up and know that we are indeed special just because we are ourselves! Read more »

I was reading an article by Ross Bishop on “Giving Love” and he made some good points on this most special, wanted and painful of all feelings. We’ve all felt as if our hearts have been broken into tiny pieces.  We can feel crushed, beaten and bruised when we‘re hurt.  However, when we love and are loved, we feel as if we’re soaring like an eagle, free and happy, with the world at our feet. Read more »

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life.” lynnie buttercup – London Read more »

“I’m a work in progress.”  This remark struck a cord with me as it was spoken by a very bright young man who has had his share of ups and downs in life.  It was a very insightful and honest statement from a person I have learned to respect.  He spoke a great truth for we are all a work in progress. Read more »

We often get involved —- way too involved —- in taking care of everything and everyone, controlling situations so they unfold exactly as we think they should play out, or fixing not only our lives, but the lives of everyone around us.  There are times when giving and caring is the right thing to do. We help others, extend a heart in kindness, and make a difference.   However, there are other times when we stick our noses into things that are not our deal.  It is someone else’s deal – their learning experience, growth opportunity, lesson or simply their life decision – not ours. Read more »

The phrase, “TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE” is often heard. People talk about wanting to in some way make life better, help or improve the way we live. For many people this is an everyday habit that they don’t even think about.  It is a way of life. Read more »

Its graduation time and many people are completing a college degree or a high school diploma.  This calls for a celebration!  The journey has been long, with both highs and lows, lots of work and also fun. I made it —– THIS IS MY BIG DAY! Congratulations on your accomplishments! Read more »

This week I had overnight guests.  I was the bed and breakfast for the night. These friends are walking, not biking, The Katy Trail across Missouri.  The Katy Trail is a 225 mile (365 km) bike path stretching across most of the state. Over half of it follows Lewis and Clark’s path up the Missouri River, where you can ride beneath towering river bluffs. After leaving the river, the trail meanders through peaceful farmland and small-town Americana. Read more »

Do you know what a tuxedo cat is? It is a black cat with a white neck and chest – as if it had on a tuxedo. They look very dignified and formal. One of these cats has made his home with us.  Last winter in the worst snow and cold, I observed him wandering the neighborhood, and began feeding him.  He had no real shelter, so I took care of that also.  As winter turned to spring, he felt comfortable enough to come closer to the house and eventually to the back porch.  Now, he occasionally comes in the house, but really prefers to supervise the back yard. Read more »

How do you define fun? Is it something that is only playtime and does not involve your job or some kind of work?  Or, is it something that you simply enjoy, regardless of whether it is you are getting paid to do it, have to do it, or is a chore that will make life better?  Mowing the grass is an example of this.  We may love to be outside, but may or may not define this specific activity as fun. Fun can be defined as: play, sport, amusement, relaxation, entertainment, recreation, pastime, solace, or pleasure.  Each individual defines fun for themselves.  However, in the everyday bustle of living, there is often less fun and more stress. Read more »

I’ve heard numerous stories and had several conversations in the last few days about –“TO BE OR NOT TO BE.” This famous question originally came from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.  However it was interpreted in that famous play, it has a very definite application to our lives today. Seems that we are so busy racing around and keeping all the balls bouncing that we have forgotten how, “TO BE.” Read more »

Did you ever work and work to accomplish a goal, maintain a relationship, or build a team?  Did you ever want something so bad that you would do anything to make it happen?  Sometimes things fall in place and you get exactly what you wanted. At other times, you work, try, push and negotiate and it just isn’t happening. Then you kick into high gear with a manipulative plan to force what you want.  The more effort you use to push this boulder up the mountain, the more quickly it comes rolling back down. Read more »

On March 18, I posted the blog, IMPRESSIONS.   It focused on Mary who was healing from an abusive childhood.   I.M. Heart encouraged you to be real and honest about feelings coming from such experiences and like Mary, to get help when needed.  Be brave enough to continue working on understanding and letting go of impressions of yourself from the experiences – that may not be true. The truth is that we are all valuable, worthy and lovable individuals. Sometimes we assume that because people have been cruel or abusive, we are not lovable.  In this blog I want to share some more insights Mary has discovered. My wish is that her insights help others. Read more »

It is Spring – time for washing windows, cleaning the hidey holes in the house of their secret treasures as well as clearing the yard of dried up foliage. Emptying means stripping away what we don’t need or want any more. It means de-cluttering as we do in spring cleaning or when we gather articles to put in a yard sale. Read more »

Have you ever found yourself running in opposite directions – toward someone and at the same time away from them?   Many people want real, honest, loving, committed relationships, but are terrified of really having them. They feel that they have opened their heart and it was broken. They never want to hurt that bad again, so they close up, and shut down.  They feel that they will never have someone to love them – heart and soul, true and fully.   With this in place, when love does come their way, they are terrified and run away from the very thing that they want the most. Read more »