The Joys of Boomerdom By Tracey Barnes Priestly One of the surprising benefits to being a Boomer is looking forward to the end of summer. You read that correctly. While many people are turning their attention to the demands of another school year, we are celebrating! Why? This is the time of year for our annual trek to the waters off of British Columbia. Ah, the joys of Boomerdom! It all began when my husband built Descant, a beautiful, 24 foot, wooden, pilothouse cruiser. From the moment we left the marina for the first time, we knew we were in for some memorable experiences. What we didn’t... Read More

Climbing Over the Fence of Logic into Faith By Chloe JonPaul, M. Ed. Have you really attempted to climb over ” the fence of logic”  to find God? We are living in an age where the forces of reason tend to dominate our lives. There are “self-assured” rationalists who belittle the role of faith and scientists are demonstrating even more details of creation and evolution of human life. Can faith and logic be compatible? The answer is a resounding YES! According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, “faith consolidates, integrates, and illuminates the heritage of truth acquired... Read More

Feeling Hopeless?  Your Guide to the Healing Power of Hope By Chloe JonPaul, M. Ed. There are moments in our lives when a profound sense of hopelessness envelops us, placing us on the brink of despair. Remaining stuck in this state will only bring more misery so we need to learn how to bring victory out of what seems to be defeat. You may feel that your prayers have gone answered and you find yourself muttering “God, don’t You care?”  God’s response, however is always in His own time and in His own way – wonderful and mysterious though it may be.  He may be using your particular situation... Read More

Try On These Sparkling GEMS for Working Moms – You\’ll Soon Wonder How You Lived Without Them! By NABBW member Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. Is your life an endless cycle, revolving around work and taking care of the kids? If so, you’re not alone. In a recent study by the Families and Work Institute, half of American women say they don’t have enough time to spend on themselves and to choose the activities they enjoy. We all know that saying ‘yes’ to more responsibility can make us feel safer with the boss and help us avoid conflict in the family. But too often ‘yes’ is our default... Read More

The F-Word You Need to Use By Chloe JonPaul, M.Ed. Anger may be affecting your life so the next logical step is to check out where you stand on forgiveness.  Yes, that’s the F-word you must learn to put into practice. We forgive – not necessarily because that person deserves to be forgiven – but because it frees us up. In essence, you are taking back your power. When we hold on to some resentment, grudge, or hatred toward someone, we are actually empowering them. It certainly isn’t bothering that person. As Dale Carnegie once said: “Our enemies would dance with joy if they knew... Read More

God Recycles Too! By Chloe JonPaul M.Ed. As I fill containers with paper, cardboard, foam, plastic, glass, and metal scraps, I marvel at the thought that I can, in a small but important way, be helping to save our endangered environment.  The hairs on my head stand up like Brillo when I see people throwing trash on the ground – right next to a waste bin located on the sidewalk.  Then we have the careless fools who throw stuff out their car window as they whiz past. With a little effort but lots of determination, I have set up things in my household so that I can efficiently and routinely... Read More

Four Rooms You Should Visit Daily By Chloe JonPaul M.Ed. Well now, let\’s talk about those four rooms that I mentioned in my introductory post.  A wise Indian guru once said that man is a house with four rooms:  the physical, the mental, the spiritual, and the emotional.  The problem is that he tends to spend most of his time in only one of those rooms each day whereas it would be in his best interests to visit each of them every day. But…(I hear you moaning!) how is that possible? you say.  I can hardly keep up with my schedule as it is!  Well, that was exactly what I thought... Read More

What\’s in Your Spiritual Pantry? By Chloe JonPaul Most of us check into our kitchen pantry on a regular basis to see what items we need so we can make a shopping list for the grocery store.  Keeping a supply of staples is a given for most of us since we don’t want to run out of something just when we need it the most. Today, however, I invite you to take a look at what’s in your spiritual pantry so you can decide on what needs to be added, replaced, or perhaps even discarded. Spirituality is often misconstrued as having a religious affiliation with a church, mosque, or synagogue. ... Read More

Tour Business\’ Dual Goals: Build Memories and Fight Alzheimer\’s Disease By Donna West for the NABBW The idea that I might lose my identity and all of my memories is terrifying. I lost my father to Alzheimer’s Disease. My Father and Mother were my favorite travel companions. I have priceless memories of sitting in our living room and lingering over our pictures together, remembering the great times those snapshots captured for us. I witnessed the ravages of Alzheimer’s first-hand as I slowly lost my father. I didn’t get it at first, why his personality was changing.  I was... Read More

The Weather Has Changed Now It\’s Your Turn  By Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. and Phyllis Goldberg, Ph. D.  Now that summer is in full bloom, are you looking for ways to make new beginnings yourself? You\’ve been seeing flowers popping their heads up, risking bad weather to bloom once more. If you\’ve wanted to make some changes in your old habits but have been bogged down by winter\’s heavy gloom, now\’s the time to take a chance and go for it. Here are some tips to help you start instituting the changes you want make. This summer try out a new perspective as you... Read More