In our lives, there is no one that can be harder on us than ourselves. We repeatedly beat ourselves up for past transgressions. We carry guilt for some wrong that we may have done years ago. We are constantly anxious about everything going on around us that may involve our home life, work or social situations. In doing this, we rob ourselves of the very moments that we should be enjoying the life that we have been given. One of the programs that I just finished on my meditation app that I… Read More

We all worry about money. Do we have enough, how can we get more, will there be enough to retire and the list goes on? In fact, the amount of money that one possesses is often used as the barometer for how valuable their life is. However, when you think about it, money is only a means of bartering and exchange that was created so long ago, way after life itself was created. It’s only value is that which we place on it and when it becomes the most valuable thing in… Read More

When I saw this quote, it struck me just how true it is. Every minute of every day we are making decisions that determine where our life is going in those next minutes. Sometimes, we unfortunately make the same wrong decisions over and over, without realizing that a different decision could alter the very path from which we are trying to escape. Why do you think that is? My guess is it is most likely because, although that decision may be the wrong one, it is comfortable and familiar. When I write… Read More

As we get older, our lives become more complex, complicated and sometimes downright difficult. As we strive to meet the needs of our families, our jobs and ultimately ourselves, squeezing in time to just take a break from it all becomes more and more difficult. When we fail to find that release, the stress within us continues to build over time like a pressure cooker. When it has no outlet, it tends to break free when we least expect it and sometimes in the most unpleasant of ways. Being one of those… Read More

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my 40th (yikes), I did say my 40th high school reunion. It was great catching up with every one and seeing people that you usually only get to see every ten years. Hearing about families, the work each is doing and how far their lives have come was a validation of how far I have come since leaving Okeechobee all those years ago. As I watched the Homecoming festivities unfold, I was reminded of how important those things were to us when we were… Read More

When I was growing up as a child, I had a very unique childhood. While I did many of the things that others my age did as far as school and extracurricular activities go, a good portion of my free time was spent with my grandmother. Because she was so involved in visiting and taking care of seniors in our community, that meant that I too got to see first hand the importance of being involved with those that society often seems to forget. When you have a compassion for the elderly… Read More

Recently, I was thinking about what it means to be truly great. Not mediocre, but great in a way that other people recognize what you are doing simply by the contributions you are making through your actions, not just your words. Over time there have been many people that have been nothing more than who they are. The contributions they made were simply the course of business for them, not something that they strived to make grand or well known. Then I thought about the definition of greatness and realized that there… Read More

The quote in the title of this post came across the television screen over the weekend and I found it to be not only funny, but profound. In our lives there are so many things that we want to do, dreams that we want to fulfill and tasks that we want to complete….someday. The unfortunate thing is that someday often never comes. Things come up that take our attention away from that which we desire and as a result we wind up failing to live the full and abundant life that we… Read More

By now everyone knows that the mission of the Bring Smiles to Seniors program is ensuring that those that paved the way for us are reminded that they are remembered and loved. The contributions that they have made to clearing the way for a better life for us must be celebrated and appreciated for the gift that they were. Interacting with them while we have them is so important. When they are gone our ability to extract knowledge and wisdom is gone with them. Before my grandmother was in her late stages… Read More

This particular subject has been a subject of my writings in the past and is one of my favorite subjects to write about. The reason is that there is so much to learn about special needs kids and adults that can help us to be better people. Their lack of prejudice and innate desire to show compassion and love to all they meet, set a model for the lives that we should try to live ourselves. Although we have come a long way, there is a portion of our population that disappointedly… Read More