2016 is almost upon us. While we start every day with a fresh beginning, there’s something exciting about the hallmark of a new year. As I’ve pulled out my calendar over the last few weeks to write down commitments for the New Year, I find myself drawn to its blank pages – seeing them for what they are: days that I can live in any way I choose.… Continue reading
The other day a friend commented to me, “You should make a healthier eggnog recipe. The stuff available in the market is so full of toxic junk.” I pointed her to the healthier, Homemade Fruit-Sweetened Eggnog (recipe HERE) I posted during the summer earlier this year.
Just in case you also forgot the recipe was there, I figured I’d mention it again.… Continue reading
Each day may we leave a legacy of our kindness, letting our actions ripple out into the world in gentle waves of compassion, sympathy, and benevolence.
It doesn’t take a huge amount of effort to have your life radiate kindness. Smile at the person you pass as you walk down the sidewalk. Speak kindly to the butcher at the market.… Continue reading
This week I’m simplifying my life by setting aside my To Do List. Generally, setting aside my list is, for me, a bit chaos inducing. I use my calendar and my daily list to organize my days and make sure that I don’t forget about the things that I need to do.
However, this week and next I am visiting my extended family.… Continue reading
Celebrating holidays from around the world is a fun and exciting way to learn about the various cultures, traditions, and special foods of the wide array people with whom we share our earth. It’s a painless way to introduce geography, and it makes multiculturalism pleasurable. Who doesn’t enjoy having another reason to celebrate? And if it involves delicious foods – and most celebrations do – that makes it even better.… Continue reading
Every day is sweet if we make it so. Even the most simple and mundane of daily necessities and tasks can be a joyful meditation if we approach them as a chance to learn, to grow, and to live with delight.
“The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.… Continue reading
My 6-year-old planned an entire St. Lucia Day Celebration for us (see HERE). The only thing I had to do was to come up with and help bake a recipe for St. Lucia buns. Coming up with a recipe we could actually eat ended up being more difficult than I thought it would be, as none of the recipes I found online were quite right for one reason or another – they either had grains or dairy or guar gum or other things we try to avoid.… Continue reading
The winter holidays are upon us. And if you’re like most families, this means there will be an influx of things into your home, especially for your children.
Over the years, my husband and I have done a good job of reminding our loved ones that we don’t need more stuff. Instead, we ask those who live far away to save their money and spend it to come and visit us (or those local to us to join us for a special meal or a cup of tea or fun nearby trip together).… Continue reading
The Winter holidays are upon us. In addition to the multitude of gifts that people exchange during this time of year, there is generally an enormous amount of gift wrap and trimmings to go along with them. Unfortunately, much of this gift wrap simply ends up in a landfill after the recipient opens the gift.
While everyone loves beautiful packages, here are some ways to make your gift-giving more environmentally friendly:
Let’s look for the possibility and potential in life, in other people, and in ourselves. Let’s find the shimmer of beauty and hope in our everyday lives. May we see not only what is, but also what can be.
“Most people see what is, and never see what can be.” Albert Einstein