Celebrating my Mom
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Colors of Kindness Crayons
This past week I came across a unique happy box of crayons – Crayola Colors of Kindness crayons. I picked up the box instantly falling in love with the colors and the concept behind this simple box of crayons. The box says, “These 24 Crayola crayons are specially labeled with warm words to inspire smiles and happy thoughts!” Yes please! One of my Mom’s favorite things was a brand new box of crayons – such a small simple thing that would evoke memories of childhood and inspire joy in her heart. As I was reading through the names of the crayons I felt a wonderful wave of peace and calmness…
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Navigating Grief & Finding Peace
Last weekend my teenage daughter asked me if I had found peace or if I was still struggling with the passing of my mom, Kelly. It came out of the blue as we were traveling to her musical theater practice and it took me a moment to gather my thoughts to respond. Navigating grief and life after the passing of a loved one is a journey and process that looks different for everyone. Many of us are navigating grief today – be it the passing of a family member or friend, seeing the news headlines of war or COVID death tallies, or letting go of a marriage or job title…
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New Year Gratitude 2022
Another new year is upon us with the opportunity for fresh perspectives, to set new goals, and to be open to new opportunities that lay in the year ahead. I rarely make new year resolutions but I do like to make new year goals. Resolutions feel like binding promises whereas goals bring new energy to projects or aspects of my life that I want to focus on. This year my goal is to focus on presence – to be in the present moment, to find the blessing at hand, and to know that Love fills all space. Since my Mom’s passing I have spent a considerable amount of time in…
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Christmas Gratitude – 2021
Gratitude is at the very heart of this site and focusing on gratitude has truly allowed me to heal and move forward after my Mom’s passing with grace, hope, and love. When I was little and I wasn’t feeling well or had a bad day my Mom would ask me to make a gratitude list – the goal was to shift my thought towards the good that was actively present instead of focusing on the pain, fear, or negative experience. This practice has stayed with me throughout my adult life and is something I have done with my daughter since she was little- we call it her “happy list”. We…
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One Year: I Am Exercise
Just a few days before my Mom passed away we sat down together in the sunroom at the lake house and did an I Am exercise together. The idea was to each make a list of I Am statements of who we are as spiritual ideas and each time a false claim or belief came forward we would turn to the I Am statements to adjust and correct our thought. After we both made our lists we read them outloud one at a time, alternating back and forth and talking about each one. I then got out a blank piece of paper and lots of colored Sharpies and made the…
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Receiving Birthday Love from Above
Today is my birthday – the day my Mom held me in her arms for the first time and welcomed me into this experience. Today is our day and it always will be. Throughout my life I have heard my Mom say countless times, “I am ageless.” How true this simple statement is – we are ageless because we are spiritual. Matter says we have a beginning and an end and let’s count, but Spirit says we are eternal and our time and expression is infinite. The note you see above (and below on my vanity) was written in 2006 – I was 5 months pregnant with my daughter and…
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Spreading Love
This past week we had a lovely family gathering to spread my Mom’s ashes along the shore of Pebble Beach in Door County, Wisconsin. The beach is completely covered with smooth dolomitic limestone pebbles that are each uniquely perfect (see photo above). Our family has been vacationing in Door County since my Dad was a young teenager and we have created so many happy memories there over the years at the family lakefront home – Pebble Beach was always a favorite stop for swimming and skipping stones. The sky was clear and blue, the waves lapping gently along the shoreline, and the sun shining down on us. Beautiful words were…
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Speaking Words of Comfort
Have you ever struggled with what to say to someone who has had a beloved family member pass away? Or what to say when a cherished pet has moved on? Or wondered how to support that person in the months that follow? I’ve been giving this some thought over the past 9 months when family and friends have come to me asking, “What do you need?”, “How can I support you?”, “How can I be present for you?” Just asking those questions is the first step in continuing a healthy relationship with the person going through those big life changing events. Many people say not to ask questions, to just…
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Presenting the Outstanding Community Achievement Award – 2021
My Mom, Kelly Buchanan was the founder and creator of the HER brand (https://her.today) – a program in eastern Iowa that empowers women and gives them the tools and community support to succeed in any career path they choose. After my Mom’s passing her colleagues reached out to me and we met in March 2021 to discuss creating a new award in her honor. The Outstanding Community Leadership award was born and I had the honor to present this award to the recipient in person on June 16, 2021. This event was small and intimate, it was the first event many of us were able to attend in person and…
