Archive for the 'Support' Category

Put Your Crown On

When my daughter, Sarah, was 18 months old we took a trip to the Jersey shore. Sarah loved water so she was incredibly excited when she caught her first glimpse of the glittering blue ocean.

Sarah ran to the edge of the waves and bravely stepped forward holding my hand. The waves rushed past her knees. Then, as the sand shifted under her feet, Sarah lost her balance and unceremoniously landed on her bottom.

When Sarah got back onto her feet she waited for the next wave to roll by. When it did, she touched the surface of the water with her hand and simply said, “Be nice!”

Now THAT is queen energy.

Not queen in the traditional “supreme ruler” sense, but more the essence of… Continue reading

Published on Friday March 18, 2011 in Healing from Cancer and Support. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Ride the Support Bus

While making the bed and folding laundry yesterday (such a glamorous life!) I had the Regis & Kelly Show on in the background. They were video chatting with Dean Karnazes – a man who is currently running across country at a stunning pace of 40 miles per day, to raise money for charity.

The journey is expected to take 75 days from coast to coast. And although the physical feat is impressive enough, what struck me most was where they held the video chat – on a bus.

Yup. Dean Karnazes was chatting from inside the bus that held his support team of about eight people. When asked what his support team does, Karnazes rattled off a list of duties like coordinating logistics, shopping for groceries… Continue reading

Published on Friday March 11, 2011 in Blogs, Healing from Cancer and Support. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

A Complaint Free World

I have a confession to make. I have been an unconscious complainer. After this past week there’s no denying it.

It all started during last month’s Strong & Wise Workshop. The subject of complaints came up and with it a workshop participant mentioned the book, A Complaint Free World written by Will Bowen. The concept of the book is simple; if you stop complaining you’ll live a happier, healthier life. Will Bowen is the lead minister of “One Community Spiritual Center” in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2006, he suggested that people in his congregation use purple bracelets to track their success in eliminating complaints.

How do the bracelets work? When you catch yourself… Continue reading

Published on Thursday January 20, 2011 in Support. 0 Comments Tags: , .

What Goes Around

Written by Guest Blogger – James Roberts

We have recently had several snow storms here in Southeastern PA. Not quite like last year’s series of 20 inch plus Nor’easters, but enough to have to shovel. And, while I don’t actually LIKE shoveling the driveway and sidewalk, I do like snowstorms.

First, I like the transformation that comes with 4-6 inches of snow. I like the stillness that settles over our neighborhood, the cushioning of sound and softening of straight lines. Also, the snow seems to adjust schedules, there’s more time to get places and less places I have to go.

But mostly I like the snow because it brings the neighborhood together. I have several older neighbors and I often shovel their sidewalks… just because we’re neighbors… Continue reading

Published on Thursday January 13, 2011 in Blogs and Support. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

Pretzel Medicine

The rumors had been swirling for months but it still came as a shock when the hospital board announced that our small community hospital would be closing on July 1st. The hospital had served this working class poor neighborhood of Philadelphia for nearly 100 years but it would soon become another casualty of the health care crisis.

The day after the announcement co-workers walked around in a stunned state of disbelief. And if impending unemployment wasn’t stressful enough, those looking for comfort in the form of their morning soft pretzel found out that pretzels had been eliminated from the cafeteria menu the same day the hospital announced its closure.

For those of you outside the Philadelphia area, let me explain. Soft pretzels are the lifeblood of this city… Continue reading

Published on Tuesday August 24, 2010 in Support and Writings. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Supermarket Tantrums

As a mother of two, I’m a veteran of many toddler fits and various other public embarrassments (“CLEAN UP, AISLE 10!”).

I have rushed many wiggling, barely potty-trained children through the smelly backrooms of supermarket stock areas, where inevitably, the even smellier employee bathroom appears at the farthest possible point.

I have apologetically abandoned half filled carts after a few particularly horrible tantrums. One time, although I hesitate to admit it, I even forgot to load a fully paid for cart of food into my car, because I was so distracted by a toddler’s fit. I slinked back shortly afterward and retrieved my cart, red-faced, from the manager’s office.

One incident, forever burned into my memory, took place when my son was 18 months old.

Frankie… Continue reading

Published on Tuesday August 24, 2010 in Parenting, Support and Writings. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Single-Handed

I was wandering among tall timbers the other day, enjoying the distinctly earthy scent of wood.

“Hmm, what size do we need?” I asked, for approximately the 10th time.

My 15-year-old son repeated the dimensions in a voice frayed with patience. You see, while we were exploring new territory, it wasn’t some woodsy passage in the forest wild; it was the lumber aisle of the local home improvement warehouse. As far as I was concerned, it might as while have been Timbuktu. I was surrounded by strange looking machines with razor sharp edges, nails the size of my thumb and instruments of destruction that had no purpose I could determine.

It was a rite of passage of sorts. We were on the hunt for my son’s first… Continue reading

Published on Tuesday August 24, 2010 in Parenting, Support and Writings. 1 Comment Tags: , , .