The first week of any new year can bring an unsettling mix of relief, new direction and incentive, angst, apathy and procrastination. Even if your holiday season was emotionally challenging with some bouts of nostalgic melancholy, the quiet inertia of the post-holiday season can be a let down when the world asks us to […]
Writing the “We-moir”
Welcome 2025. At this time each year, I feel as if a heavy weight has been lifted from me. Despite all the mental minefields carefully curated in my Museum of Magical Memories that are highlighted during the holiday season, I still honor, celebrate and respect the season, but welcome the lightness of the world as […]
My Spirit Team Six
I hope you all got through the Christmas holiday alright. I know this time of year can be especially difficult for many, whether your loss occured last week, or several years ago. The shadow of that loss can dim even the brightest of holiday lights. On Christmas Eve morning, I spent some time on the […]
Sun Standstill
Today, December 21st ushers in the first official day of the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere and Capricorn season, which is technically my season and a reminder that my birthday occurs in less than four weeks. This holiday season presents a “First” as it is the first Christmas I’ll spend without my mother. I […]
House Hold
This week began with a visit from long-time friends from New Jersey that still live on the same road as Rich and I had at the New Jersey Shore. They were visiting other NJ refugees that now reside along the coast about an hour from here and spent the day learning about rural Central […]
The Long Trail Forward
The past week found me entrenched in preparing gift baskets for a Silent Auction that was held last night. Despite some weather challenges and logistical matters, I’m happy to report it was a successful event. Floridians do not like colder temps. This “Yule Be Home for Christmas and Happy Mew Year” themed event was held […]
The Art of Thanksgrieving
How did everyone do with the Thanksgiving Holiday? I know Soaring Spirits is an organization with an international membership, so for some of you, it really was just “another day”. For many in the US, however, Thanksgiving is a day filled with the expectation of being surrounded by family, food and friends. I have had […]
A Place in The Sun
Happy Birthday Jackson! Yesterday, Jackson, our local hound-lab mix rescue, turned the Big One according to his adoption records. He was one of a litter of nine brought to the shelter as they struggled to live, slowly nursed back to health. I met Jackson and his littemates when they were already 3 months-old while touring […]
Restoration and Renewal
I don’t think there’s been a time in my life when I’ve been so caught up in so many projects simultaneously and I no longer seem to have a measure of time. It was a Facebook Memory from my archives that made me realize that it was earlier this week that I’d moved to this […]
Living Lighter
While I write this, I’m currently staying in Southeast Georgia, continuing to clean out my home that is currently listed for sale. I love this spacious sunny space, the Dream Home purchased with my late husband, Rich, back in in 2020. The continuing process of “Letting Go” is difficult. In some ways, it seems even […]
True Story
In going through my archives, a memory of a New Jersey Holiday event brought a nostalgic moment. In my “past life” as a Full-time Working Artist, The Holly Berry Boutique held each year at the Upper Montclair Woman’s Club in Northern North Jersey was always a beloved occasion for me, my fellow artists, family and […]
Remembering All Souls
This time of year brings the inevitable reckoning of a three year milestone. Each day, my Social Media feeds deliver me back to those days that changed my life forever. It is a blessing and a curse to be able to relive, in what sometimes feels like real-time, the events leading up to the day […]