I was in the UK this past week with my dear friend Ellen, whom I met in one of the darkest moments of my life. We had planned this trip around a work event of hers in London. Of course, we had no way of knowing that the Queen would literally die the day I flew out or that we would be in Edinburgh and London on the same days that she was lying in state. That event certainly closed most of the streets but opened up doors to some incredibly interesting conversations with locals. In case you’re curious, Americans don’t have the market on feeling deeply and expressing loudly…
-
-
Stepping out of the shadows: a (re)birthday reflection
Yes, I loved celebrating Dr Marry's 48th birthday with this joyful post and a fun party. But I love today a million times more because we no longer live in secrets. We feel no shame. We have overcome something that, incredibly, isn't even really the tiniest bit unique.
-
Time looks like this
They, whomever “they” is, say that time is our most valuable resource. But what does that mean? We spend time, waste time, lose track of it. We find ourselves with too much or too little time on our hands. We save time, take time, find and give it, too. With all the saving and spending and giving and taking, it’s hard to really pin down what time is. As a resource, it’s both finite and infinite. Dr Marry likes to say, “When God made time, God made plenty of it.” As an aside, this would be a perfect example of why we need a gender neutral, singular pronoun, and they…
-
2019: My year in review
 It’s always a little melancholic to get to the end of a year: time is passing so quickly, but it’s also a little liberating to see what has been done in the past 12 months, too. So in the spirit of looking back before I look forward, I have opted to assess 2019 from this series of questions I found from a friend on Facebook. We talked through a number of them at supper last night and had a great conversation; I invite you to consider doing the same, either by yourself of with some close friends or family. What makes this year unforgettable? Travel:
-
Imagining reality
This story originally appeared in Inspired Home magazine January/February 2019. At the end of 2017, I came across a friend’s Facebook post with a video attached, so I watched it. I was quickly immersed in some kind of dream statement video about what she expected in 2018. I did a little digging and discovered that our mutual friend Dawn Trautman had made her a Mindset Movie. I was intrigued, so I contacted her. I both believe in and absolutely don’t believe in the power of sending out hopes and dreams that come back to you and, conversely, sending out fears and anxiety that can also come back to you from…
-
The luck of the Irish
This story first appeared in Inspired Home Fargo magazine July/August 2018 In May, I took a dream vacation with my husband, son and his girlfriend to Ireland. My husband is Irish, and I mean that in the literal sense, not in the “he enjoys St. Patrick’s Day, and his great-great grandparents came over from there” sense. I mean he has an Irish passport and the accent, and yes, that’s dreamy, too. But I digress. We have been together almost 17 years, but I hadn’t been to Ireland with him because his immediate family live in England. But this year, we finally found the time and good ticket prices to make…