Yes, it\’s that time again, when giant turkeys and homemade pies entice us to stay at the table longer than we otherwise might. With Thanksgiving as our national day of gratitude, we typically celebrate it with wonderful home cooked meals. We gobble them up, ask for seconds, and then return for left overs before we\’re finally ready to call it a day. But what about the rest of your life? How well do you gobble up the gifts that are given to you? How well do you show your gratitude then? Because no matter the challenges, there are still so many, many gifts that life bestows, not just... Read More

I remember my first Christmas tree as a married woman. Spending the holidays away from my childhood home, my husband and I braved shopping center parking lots in search of the perfect Christmas tree. The tree we bought was beautiful—for two days at least. Then needles began dropping from the tree because neither my husband nor I knew that you had to cut the bottom of the tree so that it could absorb water. As the fallen needles left bare branches, ornaments which were family heirlooms began to fall to the floor. Our first great tree adventure was a disaster. It was a disaster because I had forgotten... Read More

…By Prill Boyle Several years ago, while teaching English at a community college, I asked a group of students to write their obituaries. Initially, they were shocked by the assignment, but when I explained that its purpose was to inspire them to become bolder in their lives and braver with their dreams, they warmed up to the idea. “Our most important creation is ourselves,” I said. “Every moment our life stories are being written whether we write them or not. So why not take up your pen? Why not make your story into the story you want?” To begin, I told them to assume... Read More

…by Suzanne Falter Barnes Summary: Love your business but hate selling and marketing? Thanks to the Internet, there are now a number of great systems you can set up to actively market your business while you\’re busy doing other things. This article outlines some of the key ones. For many Net marketers, marketing is a love-hate relationship. We love the traffic and sales that a good push brings … but we have to force ourselves to do it. So lately, I\’ve been looking for systems anyone can implement that get the job done while you\’re pursuing other interests. The Net really... Read More

When my oldest son became ill, I spent nearly at week at the hospital, night and day. I discovered many things about hospitals that I am inclined to share. First and foremost, repeat after me, “This ain\’t no Holiday Inn™.” The sooner you get use to that idea, the better. Also, there are 397 possible positions of those so called “fold-out” chair-beds. Most of them can be viewed in any Chinese Torture book. Staff nurses think only of the patients. What\’s up with that? Would it kill them to bring me coffee when they first hear me fall out of the chair-bed? A muffin?... Read More

…by Suzanne Falter-BarnsHave you ever felt like the life you are living is not the one you originally had in mind? Back when you were a kid, there might have been other things you thought you were going to be, like a Broadway diva or a country doc. That was before so-called reality hit, back when the only voice you listened to was your own. Fast forward to today. If you\’re like most of us, you lost track of those dreams and ideas some time ago. Other factors came into play, like earning a living, the impossibility of going back to school, or the queasy fear of looking stupid. You might... Read More

Someone once said that we are not physical beings having spiritual experiences but rather spiritual beings having a physical experience. I believe we each come here with unique talents. Just as the world is waiting for your gifts, your soul is waiting for you to create an environment that literally nurtures your best efforts rather than one that sabotages you at every turn. Imagine a large orchestra. The conductor brings the musicians to attention. Suddenly he realizes that one of the violinists is missing. The orchestra can continue and the audience will be pleased. But the music cannot live up... Read More

”Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” – Hebrews 12:1 Do you sometimes feel as if you\’re stuck on one of those hamster wheels? You run and run, and get nowhere. I\’ve felt like that lately. I\’ve been making yet another effort to get into shape, and I\’m focusing less on appearance this time. In my younger days, I aimed for a goal weight or a pant size. Not any more. This time, my goal... Read More

When we ordered the stained glass window as an accent piece for our home, the artist-proprietor told us he was a bit behind. “So,” he said, “to be on safe side, plan on six months.” That was two years ago. We still don\’t have the window. Each time we call or stop in, he has yet another plausible reason why our project isn\’t done, the appropriate apology and a new promise of a delivery date. What he doesn\’t have is credibility. Wishful promises don\’t cut it in small-town businesses or big-city corporations. It doesn\’t matter what role you\’re... Read More

“My mother expects me to take care of her, even though I have a husband, children, and a job. But she\’s SO grateful when my brother calls once a month!” “When I ask my parents about their health they freak out and shut down!” “All I did was mentioned to my father that I\’d like to help him with the finances and suddenly the conversation took a dark turn. Now he won\’t even speak to me!” “Taking care of the house is overwhelming my mother but she won\’t even talk about getting help or moving.” Sound familiar? Frustrating? If so, you\’re... Read More