Our Christmas tree was in a new spot this year. After nearly a decade in the same corner, year after year, an adverse situation caused things to shift. The recliner my husband needed to recover from surgery now sits where the Christmas tree once did. Unlike the couch or armchair, the recliner allowed his neck to be in a comfortable position to heal. Moving the recliner up from the basement (with the help of some strong neighbors) meant the living room had to be reconfigured. After a sweaty hour of arranging the furniture pieces like a puzzle, I finally found a way for everything to fit: My co ..read more

For Thanksgiving dinner 2022, I made conversation cards to use during our sit-down meal. Some might find that strange or unnecessary, but when a family goes through a traumatic event, the aftereffects can make holiday rituals, including dinner conversation, difficult. Never had an old Tupperware dish filled with scraps of paper held so much value. Based on my family’s response to the first question I pulled out of the bowl, I sensed my homemade cards would successfully fill awkward silences and steer us away from tender topics. Those conversation cards were a game changer that day – not just ..read more

“Dreams don't have timelines, deadlines, and aren't always in straight lines.” ― Jason Reynolds I never know which question I pose at my Soul Shift retreat will be The One – the one that sparks someone to voice a vulnerable truth, which then sparks more sharing, which then culminates to an anthem of brave voices and ideas. At my most recent retreat, the question was: “If money were no object, what would you do with your life?” One person raised her hand, sharing details so vivid we could all imagine this community center she yearned to build. “I’d be the first to come,” someone volunteere ..read more

Our hydrangea bush that was dormant for three years decided to produce one bloom this fall. It started out as a potted plant that was gifted to us in honor of Scott’s father, Ben, who passed away shortly after a cancer diagnosis. My family planted it in the fertile soil next to our house in the Spring of 2017. For two consecutive springs, the shrub grew and bloomed – and then it didn’t. I wondered what I’d did wrong. This was not a huge leap for me to take. The hydrangea bush and my wrongdoing had always been strongly associated. I’d made a terrible mistake on March 17, 2017, when I decided n ..read more

I love being with my niece Kate. It’s not just about her being a joy to be around – it’s also about what happens to ME when I am around HER. When I am with Kate, I give myself a rare permission to be free. Free from rules Free from expectations Free from pressure to be productive Free to relax Free to try new things Free to make mistakes Free to be happy, silly, spontaneous When I am with Kate, I feel my tight-fitting, ever-present adult “uniform” fall away as I relax into my loose, comfy, uninhibited childlike self. I only see Kate a few times a year, so when I do, I make big plans. There ar ..read more

Exactly one year ago, I came across a greeting card that struck me in a way no card ever has. There was no text, just a colorful, hand-drawn sketch of a square house with a chimney. The house was nestled on a hilltop that could be reached by a long, winding drive. A hot-air balloon happily drifted in the blue sky over a trio of hills. I immediately bought the card and displayed it on my kitchen counter, hoping the reason I was drawn to it would become clear. A few days later, the significance hit me like a ton of bricks. The picture reminded me of my Aunt Jane and Uncle Steve’s house in Nort ..read more

About the time my older daughter returned home from her year away at college, a Mourning Dove moved in. Well, actually it was two, a male and female, but it took me seeing them together in the nest to figure that out. The pair built their nest on top of a pillar underneath my front porch. Through my front window, I could see everything without disturbing them. Intrigued by the nesting habits of these graceful birds, I began researching all there was to know about Mourning Doves. Where they got their name (from their soft, sad-sounding coo’s) How they make their cooing sound (they puff up thei ..read more

Six weeks from the launch of my new book, I found myself in the emergency room with severe pain in my neck and shoulder. I was diagnosed with a herniated disc and began treatment, but what I couldn’t get out of my mind was something I’d read when a friend suggested I look into the spiritual meaning of shoulder pain.  “When we are under stress, many of us unconsciously hunch and twist in towards ourselves. Imagine someone was throwing a dodgeball at you—how would you protect yourself? You’d turn away from the impact, contracting your abdomen and curling around yourself. Instinctually, mos ..read more

“Don’t forget to check on your strong friends!”  We hear that statement quite often, but I have learned we need take it a step further, or perhaps I should say, nearer. “Don’t forget to check on your strong children.” While my family experienced a crisis stemming from an event that directly impacted my younger daughter, it impacted every member of our family. Crisis has a way of contaminating every life attached to it. And although I desperately tried to make sure my kids felt supported through it, the child with the indirect hit – the strong one – suffered too. I didn’t know to wha ..read more

I have been waiting for this momentous day for so long. Soul Shift is finally out in the world! Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of personal details about the writing process—the personal challenges I faced, the aspects of the book I fought for, and how it turned out differently (and better!) than I ever expected. But… I haven’t told you why I wrote it. The reason can be summed up in three words: Humans are weary. I kept hearing it in the voices and in the stories of those with whom I interacted online and in person, both in my professional life and in my personal life. Between the ..read more