A Beacon of Light

“Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.”  Brené Brown For an alarming number of people, negative self-talk is a formidable obstacle to both success and happiness in life. Such thoughts creep into our consciousness when, instead of focusing on the challenge at hand, we ruminate about past situations which did not go…

“Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.”  Kahlil Gibran We all go through them. They can happen in the workplace, in relationships, or in our spiritual life. Moments of emptiness are real; and more common, perhaps, than we’d like to admit. In a world dominated by social media,…

“Dear Santa: Please define ‘naughty.’ Yours truly,…”  Author Unknown The annual time of reckoning is approaching. We all learned, early on in life, that Santa’s generosity at Christmas would be reflective of our behavior throughout the year. Would we get the desired perfect gift or would we find a lump of coal in our Christmas…

“The forest holds answers to questions we have yet to ask.” Surinamese Proverb Go to a forest (or grove, or park,…). Leave your cell phone in the car. Walk slowly. Open all your senses and take in the sights, smells, sounds, and feelings around you. Breathe deeply. This is the healing experience of Shinrin-yoku. In the…

Guest Post by Jojo Bennington I love this analogy! You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? “Because someone bumped into me!!!”  Wrong answer. You spilled the coffee because there was coffee…

“Keep your needs and wants simple and enjoy what you have.”  Henry David Thoreau Discerning between what we need and what we want can be a constant struggle for many of us. One of the primary goals of advertising today is to convince consumers that we absolutely need whatever it is that is being promoted…

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.”  Charles Dickens This story was originally published in the December 14, 1982 issue of Woman’s Day magazine by Nancy W. Gavin. • • • It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no…

“When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart and you shall see that, in truth, you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”  Kahlil Gibran Our family celebration of Thanksgiving yesterday was… well,… gratifying. The presence of our three sons, two daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren warmed my heart. There were several points…

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest, yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.”  Randy Pausch It’s 11:30 on Thursday morning — Thanksgiving Day 2023. The brilliant sunlight is highlighting the fall colors of the trees outside my window. What a show! Our home is filled with the delightful aroma of the…

“We need to keep our small businesses healthy in order to keep our economy strong.”  Keith Haynes Sure it’s easier to purchase what we need on Amazon. And yes, there are some very nice chain restaurants which serve a delicious meal. The big box stores? They serve a purpose, too. With this in mind, let’s…