Some people don’t believe in hope or have given up on hope, but for me, my whole life is centered around hope.  I can’t imagine my life without hope.  I count on hope.  I believe in hope.  I thank God for hope.   I will admit that I do anticipate that something good will come out of my struggles.  Maya Angelou often referred to a song with the lyrics, When it looked like the sun wasn’t gonna shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the clouds.  Sometimes it takes time to discover the rainbow, but every cloud has…

With all the last-minute holiday details, I am frequently reminded that tolerance is a valuable tool.  I learned at a very young age that worrying about having everything perfect is exhausting and rarely comes to fruition.   As a child, I would look around and see all the chaos leading up to a celebration.  The event itself always seemed to go flawlessly, but the preparation appeared to be grueling.  I promised myself that when it was time for me to host celebrations I would make preparation tolerable or maybe even fun for all those involved!   One of the things most…

We can count on the fact that change will occur.  What we don’t know is how we will react to that change.   Some people love change and can’t live without it other people prefer as little change as possible.  I tend to be in the middle.  I always thrived on a job that was changing by the moment.  No two problems are the same, which for me made my work exciting.  The moment my work became a routine, I was ready for my next position.   I always appreciate people who don’t require much change in their jobs…

How often do we take the time to think about what brings us Joy?  What is it during the week that makes you happy, that makes you smile and that brings joy to you and others?  What do you do during the week that is fun?  Are you doing something you consider fun every day?  Are you allowing yourself daily joy? Everyone’s idea of joy is different.  What brings joy to me might bring panic to others.  Some of what brings me joy has changed as my life unfolds.  Most of what brought me joy in my 20s…