“If you don’t love yourself, you’ll always be looking for someone else to fill the void inside you, but no one will ever be able to do it.” ~Lori Deschene This year I have fallen in and out of love. Not once, not twice, but three times. Firstly, I fell deeply into being held, being … Continue reading The Vault in Our Hearts: How I’m Learning to Fill It with My Own Love →

“Keep all special thoughts and memories for lifetimes to come. Share these keepsakes with others to inspire hope and build from the past, which can bridge to the future.” ~Mattie Stepanek I stood over a pile of my son’s t-shirts, scissors in hand, my breath ragged. I reached for a plain, dark blue one that … Continue reading Honoring Lost Loved Ones: How I Carry My Son’s Memory into the Future →

“Create a life that feels good on the inside, not one that just looks good on the outside.” ~ Unknown Since childhood I have been a high achiever. As a kid I was a perfectionist, driven to succeed, to be the best at what I did. I wanted to do well so that both my … Continue reading Why I Relied on My Ego to Survive but Now Need My Soul to Thrive →

“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” ~Brené Brown Have you ever just wanted to relax, let go, and let yourself be? Why is this so challenging for so many? Why don’t we just live naturally and allow our authenticity to … Continue reading The Most Important Questions to Ask Yourself If You Want to Be More Authentic →

“As rain falls equally on the just and the unjust, do not burden your heart with judgments but rain your kindness equally on all.”  ~Buddha Our burdens come in many forms. They are our relationships, our responsibilities, and our pasts that haunt us from beneath our consciousness. They weigh us down and prevent us from … Continue reading If You Think You Can’t Be Happy Until All Your Burdens Are Gone →

“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” ~Pema Chadron The hardest part of hearing the words, “I’m sorry, but you have cancer” at the age of thirty was knowing I had to tell my mother and my husband. Why? Not because I was afraid of their reaction, although … Continue reading How Beating Cancer Helped Me Stop Being a People-Pleaser →

“When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.” ~Unknown I might be addicted to feeling good. I’m no stranger to pleasure, and I want what I want unapologetically. But there’s a conflict that arises when one of the things I want is distracting me from having … Continue reading What Kept Me Stuck on My Ex and How I’m Breaking the Addiction →

“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” ~Sydney J. Harris No matter what airline you fly, there are safety instructions at the start of every flight that the flight crew goes over with everyone on the plane. The important ones are also listed out on a card or brochure located … Continue reading Why Rest is the Ultimate Protective Gear in a Busy, Chaotic World →

“Thoughts fuel emotions. If you don’t like what you’re feeling, step back and examine what you’re thinking. Pain is inevitable, but you’ll suffer a lot less if you disengage from your thoughts.” ~Lori Deschene The warm droplets from the shower are bouncing off my skin. I could be relishing in the warmth. I could be … Continue reading How I Stopped Arguing with People in My Head and Cultivated Calm →

“Letting go doesn’t mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be.” ~Unknown You two are family. Maybe you grew up with them and were by their side for a huge chunk of their life. There was a lot of laughing, crying, and sharing. Some fighting too. You know how their … Continue reading How to Cope with a Toxic and Estranged Family Relationship →