Removing My Website

  Speak Up! Do you know how powerful your voice is? Because I am alone a lot, I sometimes forget to speak. Truly, I do! But my favorite place to speak is in the car when I'm on a long highway. No one hears me there. No one pays attention out there (like they might at a stop light). I declare things there. It's amazing to me how we silence ourselves when others are around. Maybe they NEED to hear someone like you speak up and declare things over your life! As a reminder, this year's theme is "breathe," and this month's focus is "speak." My challenge to you is to take a deep breath and declare some good things! Write about those good things, but yes--really speak them too. You can freewrite however you want, but if you'd like a structure, here are a few options: Think of a time when you experienced injustice. Speak up for yourself on paper. Say all the things you wish you could have said at the time. Write a letter to yourself and "speak"...

  September is blurry. I won't bother with the dizziness of my schedule, but it's out of hand. I missed out on key things just because I couldn't juggle it all. This image hits home for that reason. It was chosen for my son when I compiled all the "Breathe" images in this series. I missed my son's 30th birthday . . . twice. Is that possible? Yes. The previous year, I bought a greatly reduced ticket to a writer's conference this year. I did not realize that it overlapped his birthday. We pushed the celebration back a couple of days. My mom and step-dad made plans to travel. I made plans to travel. After a whirlwind month in Guatemala, I had left no margin in my schedule. It was just "laundry and GO!" But I couldn't keep up. I left town late every time. I tried to drive through the night to get to my son. I slept in bits here and there in my car. Then I hit a wall. I couldn't do it anymore. I got a hotel at 4 a.m. and slept. When I woke, I ...

  I gasped when I saw the focus this month: SING! Indulge me for a moment, and I'll tell you why. Yesterday morning I hopped a plane (after several rescues from my daughter who came back to the airport twice and then stayed for the final thumbs up--Covid papers; Overweight luggage; MANY SIGHS from me). I landed in Guatemala City and connected with my driver, Sergio. After he helped me get loaded in, he asked through a translation app on his phone if the music was okay. It was instrumental--just piano, jazz. Absolutely it is okay with me! We began to drive and my mind slowed down.   These are hymns , I thought. Eventually I said out loud, "I know these songs!" I sang along with one verse and chorus from the back seat. I learned that Sergio's father-in-law is a pastor in Mexico: Vision Tierra Santa (Vision of the Holy Land). Sergio is a Christian and also plays piano. "Jazz? Like this? You play this?" We fumbled around with translations and it seems to me that...

  What makes you laugh? The year's theme is "breathe," and this month's focus is "laugh." Use one of these prompts, set a timer for 5 minutes (or more), and write about: What makes you laugh? Tell about a   time when you laughed so hard your sides hurt. Describe someone else's laugh (or your own laugh if you can). Did you ever laugh at an inappropriate or inoppurtune time? What happened? Level Two Reflection Considering what you just wrote, answer these questions (use any or all to explore your inner self after writing):   Do you laugh enough? Why or why not? This makes me feel . . . And now I want to . . . Food for Thought and Action Step Joy = Laughter! (At least it does for me.) Are you lauging? If not, take some time to #findjoy . . . and share what you find! Just like collecting tiny stories, tiny joy is powerful too.  Get your paper, pen, or computer and get ready to: LAUGH Ready . . . set . . . write! PS. If you would like to have a matching noteb...

  The Gift of Breath   (please indulge a longer post about the moment behind this image and my desire for you) It was December when "the machine" arrived. Boots crunched through the snow, leaving a trail of steps that marked the miracle that came to our door. My father relaxed in the hospital bed set up in his living room. The machine hummed. Clear tubes made a path across the floor, up in his bed, around his head, and rested gently under his nose. The tiny ports that tickled his abundant Norwegian nose hairs were like praise hands raised in gratitude. He was sleeping. He was breathing. This image was on my computer as I combed through hundreds of shots to make a calendar. In . . . out . . . in . . . out . . . the colors flowed in the image much like the breathing I cherished across the room. I thought much of the marvelous gift of breath. I wrote about it. I cried over it. I prayed for healing to come from it. Dad's body released its tension. His lungs seemed eased. A re...

  How do you catch your breath? The year's theme is "breathe," and this month's focus is "catch." Use one of these prompts and freewrite for 3=5 minutes (or 10 or 20)! When I think of the word   catch , I . . . I catch my breath when . . . I cannot catch my breath when . . . If I could catch one moment and hold it forever, I would choose . . . Level Two Freewrite Considering what you just wrote, answer these questions (use any or all to explore your inner self after writing):   Why? This makes me feel . . . And now I want to . . . Food for Thought and Action Step This image reminds me of life, the craziness especially. It can be chaos as a whole, but look at those patterns and lines. Each element has a story through it all like a thread in a tapestry. Explore these threads! Regardless of how small they may seem, your tiny stories make stunning elements on their own. You may discover your own priceless gems. Whether you share or choose not to share your disco...