A few days after dropping my daughter off at college, on the first day of classes, the students were notified that they needed to evacuate the campus for the hurricane.  I started to read the social media comments from parents trying to figure out how to help their students evacuate with no cars or relatives in the area. My daughter was very fortunate that one of her local roommates offered to house 6 students.  She managed the evacuation as a normal part of Florida life and had a plan. What was interesting was seeing how much more effective people were…

Every so often I need a wake-up call regarding assumptions.  Similarly to judgments, I try to avoid assuming anything, but it happens. Most of the time I know I am making an assumption before I even finish my comment or thought.    Why do I assume that I know what’s happening or how someone is feeling?  When one sees an unfortunate situation the mind often goes to the negative.  But what if the person was not looking at the situation as a negative?  What if the event was considered a stepping stone to the next adventure?  Or maybe a…

It doesn’t matter who they are or what they have done, God loves them.  Over the last decade, I have made it a priority to redefine love to be able to put it first.  To be compassionate in all circumstances.  The beautiful thing is that when I feel love for all, I also feel peace. When I lose focus I also lose the feeling of peace.  I am so addicted to living my life in a state of peace, that the moment I feel stress, worry, anger, etc., I know that I need to refocus on love.   This past…

As I was walking with my dog Bailey some workers said, “Beautiful dog.” Another said, “Expensive dog,” and I replied with a smile, “Rescue dog!”  The rest of the walk my mind was remembering perceptions that the girls and I had prior to falling in love with our current “fur ball.”    I was a single mom with no desire to add another responsibility to my plate.  However, I grew up with a dog and knew the importance of their unconditional love and the experience of being responsible for another life.    I have always loved animals, particularly dogs, but as an…