Religious

“You will never forget a person who came to you with a torch in the dark.” ~M. Rose You never know the impact you might have on someone at any given moment. It may be entirely unknown to you. While people often look “fine” on the surface and out in public, many aren’t. In fact, […]

For many of us, setting goals is easy. Bringing our visions to life is a lot more challenging. And since we inevitably encounter obstacles and self-doubt when we try to do anything new, it can be hard to stay focused, motivated, and confident in our potential and our dreams. I remember back in my twenties,

“The opposite of anger is not calmness. It’s empathy.” ~Mehmet Oz In December last year, I went to India to study yoga and meditation. About a week into my training, I noticed I was becoming increasingly angry. I thought that coming to this peaceful and supportive place would be all about gentle healing while perfecting

“We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.” ~Mary Dunbar “I don’t want to sit by Teresa. She doesn’t talk.” Ouch. I was ten years old and at a fundraising dinner for my travel softball team. It was that dreaded

“It is not your responsibility to figure out what someone else is feeling and why. Let go of the illusion that ‘fixing’ their bad mood will make you feel better.” ~Sarah Crosby Some years ago, I was talking to my husband on the phone. He sounded annoyed about something to do with his work, but

4:00 p.m. I am suddenly aware of my heartbeat. It feels more insistent than normal. Is it faster? Is it jagged? Am I out of breath? I try to reason with myself: I’ve just done a brisk walk pushing the stroller over some hills. My anxiety responds: Those hills were awhile back… you wouldn’t be

“A codependent person is one who has let another person’s behavior affect him or her and who is obsessed with controlling that person’s behavior.” ~Melody Beattie From a young age, I felt insecure in my own skin. I was a highly sensitive child and, subsequently, struggled with low self-worth for most of my life. Although

“Deep in the forest I stroll to hear the wisdom of my soul.” ~Angie Weiland-Crosby In October 2021, my partner and I embarked on a journey to summit Mt. St. Helens, an 8,263-foot active volcano in Washington State. We have hiked thousands of miles across the United States, Costa Rica, and Mexico, but this was

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.” ~Marianne Williamson  When you hear the word “forgiveness,” what do you feel? Forgiveness used to make me feel uncomfortable. I would physically contract when I thought about forgiving someone who hurt me. I felt like forgiving meant letting them off

“After you give so much of yourself to people over the years, one day you wake up and realize that you need someone to give to you too.” ~Sylvester McNutt One of the biggest surprises I found on my self-care journey was how lonely I started to feel in the process, especially when I started