Every fall, my family takes on the challenge of a local corn maze. We are determined to find all of the wooden animals that are stationed throughout the maze. It generally takes us over an hour. We have our strategy as we work together to explore every nook and trail. If we had an aerial view map of the maze,… Read More
Don’t Rush to the Bright Side
Recently at a Kohl’s department store, the sales clerk finalized my transaction and added a cheesy “You saved $26!” Laughing, I said, “You guys crack me up when you say that. The reality is I spent $49.” He replied, “But we like to look on the bright side!” I said, more seriously, “It’s a gimmick. You always have sales. I… Read More
What I Learn from Fear and Death
After hearing about the massacre of children and adults in a Connecticut elementary school, my heart ached for the families involved. The scope of their agony went beyond my imagination. In response to the killings, many parents commented about wanting to hug their children extra tight that night. While I could clearly understand why people felt that way, I realized… Read More
Three ways to declutter your emotions.
All too frequently I am shoving something in a cupboard only to have trouble closing the door. I buy groceries and not everything fits on the shelves. I try to put shampoo bottles in the bathroom cabinet and other things fall over. “This is ridiculous,” I say to myself. It is ridiculous because I know there should be plenty of… Read More
TEDx Talk – Beyond Closure
When we enter a space of grief, what do we need to do to return to a space of joy? Do we need closure? These are two of the questions I explore in a talk for TEDxDesMoines. I invite you to watch and share your own thoughts on how we can carry joy and grief together. Beyond Closure – The… Read More
Why People Hate “Closure”
From grief counselors to grieving parents, people fight the myth of closure. In Closure: The Rush to End Grief and What It Costs Us, I use the term Myth Slayers to describe people who warn others about the concept of closure. Read on to meet two of them. Myth Slayers are people who say, “There is no closure.” Some of… Read More
