I will never forget the first time I experienced real loss. As I shared with you a few weeks ago, I was 16. I had been really lucky until then. All four of my grandparents were alive, and while some of my friends had experienced the death of grandparents, loss seemed a far-away thing. That all changed one day in July. On a bright summer morning at camp, my brother came up to me as I was standing with friends, waiting to be let into the dining room for breakfast. He had come over to share with me the news…
Dealing With Loss – Part 1
In my last post I shared with you my own story of loss and some of the resulting choices I made. First, I would like to thank those of you who reached out in appreciation of my sharing my personal story, as well as entrusting me with yours. As we all know, no matter where you grow up, or where you live your life, loss will always be an integral part of life. It does not matter if loss is the result of a natural death, an unexpected and untimely tragedy (such as a suicide or traffic accident), or a…
I Was Alone- Now I Am Not !
This time of year is always difficult for me. It is a time of year when I remember some of the great lose I have experienced in my life, and in recent years as I have done my own deep work, when I reflect on how it has affected my life. As I sit down to write this post I keep wondering whether I should share this with all of you. First -because I don’t really share this part of my life with anyone and second- is it relevant? Since I share with you my life weekly and this is…
When a Friend is No Longer a Friend!
A few weeks ago I wrote about the importance of choosing friends. I got many comments asking me to share about one of the other aspects of choosing friends, and that is letting friends go. In the same way that we want to help our girls understand the power of a good friendship, one that helps and supports them, and encourages them to be their best, we also want to help them identify when a friendship is no longer a friendship. To a teen girl, her friends define her world. And it can be a very painful process if she…
When I Stopped Hiding and Said “It is Time!”
As you may have noticed, I have been stepping through a lot of my own fear recently, and encouraging you to come along with me for the journey. As I discover every day, sometimes just making the commitment, setting up an action plan, and having accountability partners, to make sure I don’t step back into my old patterns, is enough. Before I even take my first step, my world is flooded with fabulous change. If I have not yet been able to convince you to give it a try (yes, I know it is hard!) maybe I can this week. …