I have a cousin. Perhaps it feels like an incredibly basic statement to make but to me it’s the beginning of everything changing. Let me back up a bit. Just over a week ago I got my results from 23andMe. 1115 DNA relatives came back as matching with me. ELEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN people I’m related to but don’t know at all. And one of them is a first cousin. And because I know my birth dad’s last name (my…
Balance. The ultimate quest. The one thing we all seem to be in pursuit of. And something that’s been on my mind often, moreso since going back to work just over 5 years ago. Finding balance between the need to do things and the want to do things, and how I actually view the things in my life in terms of these two categories. For the past few years specifically, I’ve considered each opportunity with one specific phrase, What Do…
Last summer, while on our way back from a friend’s house, this sweet boy initiated a conversation that both warmed and broke my heart all at once. He talked about all the people and living things we’d lost over the years (his grandpa 8 years ago, our cat Mr. Bella about 7 years previous, my dad almost in early 2017, and of course more recently our original family unit plus our pets Axel, Salem, and now Malibu too). We held hands…
It was the only thing I wanted for Christmas, the DNA kit from 23and Me. I’ve always been curious about my heritage and now there’s a way to find out. But more than that, there’s even a way to be connected to others who share your same DNA. I personally know a few people (my mother included) who have discovered previously unknown family members as a result, which is so amazing though I often joke that their slogan could be:…
I’ve made no secret that 2017 was an incredibly difficult year for me and while I completely believe in being open about our struggles too, and will continue to be, I’m also a huge believer that gratitude and putting forth an energy of positivity is the real secret to happiness. So I’d like to take a minute and reflect on the past year with this in mind and bring you 10 blessings I received/experienced in 2017 {in no particulary order}:…
For me, that day is today. I’ve taken the past two plus years for all the learning they gave me, I’ve laid the burden down, and now I’m ready to move forward in every beautiful way possible. I’m going into 2018 with a new word and a new purpose. This year I’m opening up to That’s it. Receive. I’m tired and I’m ready to stop the madness. It’s time to receive what God/Life/The Universe is offering. I’m tackling the coming…
Well shit. It’s been one hell of a year. Anyone else? In truth, 2016 was a real doozy too and I could not have been more ready for 2017. And the universe laughed. But now, now I’m really ready for the coming year and I’m determined it’s going to be filled with all the goodness. I can just feel it….but first I need to wrap this year up. In 2016 my word was DISCOVER. And oh my word did I…
I don’t take my commitments lightly. And any changes come with serious and lengthy consideration and inner turmoil. It is not in my nature to not see something through but sometimes things change and you have to make a different choice. This summer, after moving into my new place, I followed through with the most difficult of decisions when I took my dog, Axel to be put down. It was a lonely decision met with much backlash, though followed also…
I know it might seem odd to some of you ~ That while my own life is in shambles, I am working towards becoming a life coach. It’s laughable, really. But I’m still doing it. And I still believe I have value to offer, maybe even moreso because of my struggles, and have shown exactly that with those I have worked with already. Not surprisingly, many that I follow in this line of work, have at one time or another…
I sat in church a few weeks ago and listened to a lesson on virtue. The teacher was amazing and I found her teaching style upbeat and engaging. It wasn’t her that inspired this post but rather the numerous similar comments from the others in the room – there was a theme in the way we are conditioned to think, and it bothers me. It bothered me then, when I thought to write this and it bothers me now, weeks…