Religious

“Wisdom is merely the movement from fighting life to embracing it.” ~Rasheed Ogunlaru Three years ago, I fell into the blind spot of medicine: America’s unknown epidemic. After numerous tests, scans, scopes, and too many doctors to count, modern medicine could not find anything seriously wrong with me. I also consented to have my gallbladder […]

Hi friends. I know that many within the community are grappling with uncertainty right now—as really, we always are—and I also know how terrifying it can feel to embrace not knowing. Whether you’re dealing with health issues, unemployment, or relationship struggles, the question of what’s going to happen can keep you up at night. And

“It’s not the events of our lives that shape us, but our beliefs as to what those events mean.” ~Tony Robbins Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Wow. That one takes me waaay back. All the way to the elementary school playground. A place where I attempted to

“Have a little faith in your ability to handle whatever’s coming down the road. Believe that you have the strength and resourcefulness required to tackle whatever challenges come your way. And know that you always have the capacity to make the best of anything. Even if you didn’t want it or ask for it, even

“It is the marriage of the soul with nature that gives birth to imagination.” ~Henry David Thoreau Before my accident, before we had kids, after we divorced, after my father died from Covid, before the pandemic… We tend to divide our lives into the before and afters that define our world, whether personally or on

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~Martin Luther King Jr. It was Saturday, August 29th, 2020, when I admitted to myself, for the very first time, that I was a victim of sexual assault as a child. Twenty-five years of complete denial that this ever happened, and

“Sending love to everyone who’s doing their best to heal from things they don’t discuss.” ~Unknown I used to obsess over healthy eating, and I mean OB-SESSSSS. I spent virtually every waking moment thinking about food. What should I eat today? Is there too much sugar in that? What will I eat when we go

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” ~Shauna Niequist Imagine if you had a tool that, with no effort or change on your part, could cast a glow around you, exposing hidden gems within your everyday life. You do! It’s called gratitude. It has

“Be a curator of your life. Slowly cut things out until you’re left only with what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy.” ~Leo Babauta As a kid, I remember begging my dad to take me to Burger King, Wendy’s, McDonalds, and any other number of fast food restaurants. Their food was

“Why don’t you get up and make the coffee, while I stay in my sleeping bag and plan our ascent route?” I half-heartedly ask my climbing partner Hank. He just looks at me with that unassuming, “give-me-a-break Val Jon” look of his. It’s three o’clock in the morning, cold, dark, and damp, and neither of