Is It Possible to Choose Happiness?

Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness to just be happy. – Guillaume Apollinaire Do you pursue happiness? No? Me neither! I just float around on a cloud of bliss all day, because I’ve chosen to just be happy instead. Ha! As if it was that easy. March 20th is International Day of Happiness, so … Read More

Thankful For A Loss

In sharing this story, I do not wish in any way to negate or belittle the experience of anyone who has gone through miscarriage and is still grieving. My hope is that by sharing my story I can perhaps offer others hope or resolution. Motherhood came later in life for me than it does for many women. In my twenties, I had no … Read More

The Many Facets of Grief

Even as I’ve been going through it, even when it has hurt deeply, I’ve felt fascinated by the grief process. Grief doesn’t come in a box marked: “Sad all the time. ” In the first few days after my father’s death, when my sisters, mother and I were together, it’s true we did a lot of crying. But we also … Read More

Giving Thanks, Hurting and Healing

Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come? – Rumi Friday 13th September: Those of you who’ve read any of my recent posts … Read More

Let Go of Trying to be Better Than Your Parents

This post was originally published on my Inquiring Parent blog on Sep 10, 2013, and was updated on April 26, 2018. In the weeks before my father died, we had many conversations. Sometimes, he expressed regrets. He hinted that my sister and I had done better at parenting than he did. He thought he’d done things that weren’t kind; he … Read More

Ten Things of Thankful

I have several posts planned for this blog, but they are all in various stages of needing a little more research here or a bit of tweaking there. My writing brain is working at a slightly slower speed than normal, largely due to being more tired than normal. I have read that lack of sleep does this – well I … Read More

Self Compassion by Kristin Neff: a Review

You only need to read a few of the posts on this blog to know that I am not a newbie at self-development. I’ve attended workshops in The Work of Byron Katie, The Sedona Method and Non-Violent Communication. I’ve meditated, and released tension with yoga. I’ve also read copious books by other writers, psychologists, coaches and one by a hypnotherapist. … Read More

Let Go of Guilt and Shame

Guilt and shame are insidous feelings, hard to spot and sometimes also hard to stop. First, it helps to understand why we feel guilt – what we unconsciously hope to get from it and why we won’t ever get that. For me, understanding that felt like permission to treat myself with more kindness. If you struggle with guilt or shame, … Read More

Not Crying Over Spilt Milk

When we are present discipline isn’t even an issue, whereas when we are distracted by beliefs about how children should be life becomes a battle of wills, an endless task of trying to mould children into whatever they currently are not! Being present, aware, awake – whatever you like to call it – is something I sometimes am, and sometimes … Read More