As we enter into spring this month, I’ve been trying to soak in the beauty outside: the warm sunshine, the green leaves, the happy bird songs, and the fragrant flowers. Spring is especially sweet after a biting winter―a physically chilling season or an emotionally draining one. Spring represents joy. Hope. A fresh start. “It is
Happy New Year! I like to choose a significant word as I enter each new year. In 2015, my word was “fruitful,” and my year was very fruitful. In 2016, my word was “nurture,” and I focused on nurturing and appreciating what I had. Last year, my word was “perseverance,” and as it turned out,
Sometimes the coldest months can offer us the most warmth. At times, we might shiver on the outside, but that helps us to recognize where true warmth comes from. We learn that the cold is temporary, that the warmth inside can carry us through. I like this quote by Yoko Ono: “Spring passes and one
What do you hope for in 2016? Last January, I chose the word “fruitful” because I hoped that 2015 would be a fruitful year. As I look back on last year, I can’t help but feel grateful because 2015 was the most fruitful year of my life. For 2016, I’m choosing the word “nurture” because
As spring approaches, I want to take a few moments to appreciate winter. Winter is my least favorite season, and this year, I felt like it was in no hurry to leave. I don’t like complaining about our days of thirty-degree weather. After all, I know that people who live up north have had to
How was your 2014? What do you hope for in 2015? The year 2014 wasn’t an exceptionally good year for me, but is wasn’t a particularly bad one either. I’d rate it somewhere in the middle. It had its ups and downs, its exhilarating moments and its frustrating moments. I think the word “okay” is
Often I’ve found a small, unexpected symbol of encouragement, and it’s brightened my day significantly. I’ve discovered it in various forms: a sunlit pattern in the clouds, a hug, a verse, a comforting breeze, an inspiring line from a song, or a genuine smile. Recently, I noticed this heart on the ground. It reminded me
I rarely commit to new projects, because my free time is limited, but last week I was inspired to start an art journal. I work at a treatment center (as a mental health counselor and an art therapist), and one of the activities that I’ve encouraged my clients to do is to keep an art
While I was living in Guatemala, I developed a fascination for ruins. They provided a lovely, peaceful hideaway from the chaos, the poverty, and the unpredictability that I encountered on a regular basis. As I entered these ruins, I could finally take a breath. These walls that remained had been standing for centuries, and they
