This post originally ran on May 27, 2023 “I paint to let my soul know I am listening.” That’s a comment a friend posted on one of my social media pages in response to one of my blog posts. I’ve seen her work, and its beautiful and unique. It brings me joy just looking at...
Artist Dario Robleto once said, “With nothing to risk, love can’t exist.” Maybe that quote is resonating with me because my husband and I are approaching our 32nd anniversary. Though we’d been together for two and a half years by the time he asked me to marry him, and while we’d talked around the subject...
I raised my kids to follow their hearts; to trust their intuition. I truly believe our gut responses are often the best. So why is it so hard sometimes to just “go with the gut”? Why do our minds feel the need to try to override our intuition? So many times, I get an immediate...
When my son was five years old, he got very sick. I called the doctor after hours and explained the symptoms over the phone. He paused and then said, “Tell me, Mom, what do you think?” “I think there’s something wrong. He’s not himself,” I said. “I trust a mother’s intuition,” he replied. “Take him...
Your company brings in a motivational speaker. The speaker goes on and on about how to improve yourself and your life and your work. Your coworkers are grinning and nodding and applauding, but you just don’t get it. There’s nothing more annoying than listening to someone tell you how easy it is to reinvent yourself...
This year, it’s really simple: I’m grateful for all the art in my life. The art I produce, the art you produce, the art we love, and the art that challenges us. The art that spurs conversation and the art that settles the soul. The art that comes from our hands and our voices, but...
The other day, I invited two poets, Veronica Patterson and Lisa Zimmerman, to speak to one of my writing groups. They talked about how poetry predates written language and how it’s in all of us. They pointed out that little kids speak naturally in metaphor. For example, when you ask them how something felt, they...
I have two necklaces that I count among my favorites. Every time I wear each of them, I’m guaranteed a compliment. One was made by a local artist I met at a craft show. I’ve bought several pieces from her over the years. The other I purchased at Macy’s department store. It’s from the 1928...
This is a picture of me taken during the two months I bummed around Europe as a college student. I had just completed a studies abroad program in London and had assumed I would be heading home after the program ended. Instead, I got an unexpected invitation to travel around Europe for two months with...