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To Write a Thank-You or Phone it in?

Jan 05 2016

What I suddenly understood was that a thank-you note isn’t the price you pay for receiving a gift, as so many children think it is, a kind of minimum tribute or toll, but an opportunity to count your blessings. And gratitude isn’t what you give in exchange for something; it’s what you feel when you are blessed–blessed to have family and friends who care about you, and who want to see you happy. Hence the joy from thanking. ~Will Schwalbe, in The End of Your Life Book Club I felt a twinge of hope when Mr. Schwalbe shared his epiphany about…

Dec 08 2015

Tis the season for decking the halls, baking cookies, writing wish lists… and nosebleeds. As the popular holiday song goes, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful… and our kids get nosebleeds. I remember one particular occasion, while staying in a hotel, my husband and I were sitting in the cramped bathroom with our son. We were unravelling rolls (yes, rolls) of toilet paper and emptying the kleenex dispenser trying to stop a terrible nosebleed. I was ready to throw in the towel, grab an actual towel, and take our son to the nearest urgent care when,…

Nov 24 2015

I love seeing friends on Facebook posting their daily gratitudes. Whether they post for 30 or 100 days, what a great way to embrace (or make) little moments and focus on the good things in life, every day. My husband takes our family along a similar journey every evening before mealtime and even though the exercise produces some of the same gratitudes night after night (“legos,” “tacos,” and “Sophia, my doll”) it gets us thinking about how there is a gift within each day. I need this exercise because I am a worrier. I do “sweat the small stuff.” For…

Nov 17 2015

There’s snow up in the mountains, the annual ski swap is the “happening” hot spot and ski school is booked (don’t tell my kids…for some unknown reason they want to ski with Dad and Mom). Everyone in our southwestern Colorado town is counting down the days until the official start of (downhill) ski season. That is, unless you are one of those hard core individuals who enjoys the relatively insane sport of backcountry skiing, then you have been schussing for a few weeks now.

Don't overdo it. Consider how AP courseload fits in with an already busy schedule.

Nov 12 2015

A few days after the death of comedian Robin Williams I happened to view the classic Woody Allen movie, Annie Hall. A good art film but the scene that struck me most happened only two minutes in. This introduction had Woody Allen’s character, Alvy Singer, offering a soliloquy which ends with his stating that “I’m not a depressive character…I was a reasonably happy kid, I guess.” Cut to young Alvy, with his impatient mother, in the doctor’s office. He is depressed, says his mother, and she complains he won’t do anything; he won’t do his homework. Alvy explains to his doctor,…

Oct 27 2015

When did we forget that we are human beings, not human doings? ~Omid Safi, in his essay “The Disease of Being Busy” for onbeing.org My husband and I limit our kids to two extracurricular activities per child at any given time. This is fewer than that recommended by experts who diss kids’ crammed schedules (three or fewer, they say). So our lives shouldn’t be too hectic, right? In theory, yes.

Oct 13 2015

Recently our local college had the privilege of hosting a lecture by noted author and scientist Temple Grandin and we were fortunate enough to be in attendance. This remarkable woman, diagnosed with autism as a child, has overcome the obstacles of her diagnosis to earn a degree in psychology and a PhD in animal science and pen several books. To hear her speak (which she didn’t learn to do until the age of four), is to experience how nurturing and support and sheer will can help a person overcome odds and accomplish amazing things. Temple Grandin speaks quickly and one…

Oct 06 2015

(This post was originally published January 22, 2014, and has been updated for the 2015-2016 influenza season.) The bad news: cold and flu season is upon us. The good news: we can put up our dukes against it. The season is a hot topic amongst moms and I recall one particular day that was no exception. Discussion of who was ill and for how long infected a session at my yoga studio and the talk led to that of who got the flu vaccine, who did not, and the defense of their decisions. Back when I was a practicing physician…

Sep 29 2015

I was in second grade when my grandfather died unexpectedly. It was a horribly difficult time made even harder by the fact that he died a day after my family returned from the funeral of another family member. As a child I recall feeling confused, sad and so scared I couldn’t even go into the living room to see my grieving grandmother. The death of a loved one is difficult to explain to children, especially as we adults are trying to process our own loss, sadness and grief. Funerals are emotional and perplexing. I didn’t go to my grandfather’s. Because…

Sep 22 2015

There is a well-known story about Olympic champion Gabrielle Douglas and the turning point in her gymnastics career. She was living with a host family in Iowa so she could work with Liang Chow, the coach who trained Shawn Johnson. But being terribly homesick for her family and life in Virginia, she told her mother she wanted to quit gymnastics. Upon hearing this Gabby’s mom read her the riot act and, as we all know, the rest is history. I began learning the trumpet at age nine. Shortly thereafter I got braces and could hardly play a note. My instructor…

Category - blog

To Write a Thank-You or Phone it in?

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The Giving of Thanks. Anytime. Everyday.

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Life Lessons, By Temple Grandin

The Influenza Vaccine: Setting the Records Straight

When a Loved One Dies: How We Can Help Our Kids

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