A tribute to my friend — When I learned this afternoon that Mo died overnight, the first thing I heard in my head was his familiar laugh. Sometimes he laughed at me; sometimes with me. No matter the circumstance, his laughter was always accompanied by love and kindness. Even on rare times, he was angry, he…

Reflections on hearing of the sudden passing of my friend — I can’t remember the first time I met him, but I clearly remember all the times when he would laugh — sometimes with me and sometimes at me — no matter what the surrounding circumstances, he always made me smile with that sly look that accompanied his laugh. His voice…

Some of my “Inspiration in Quarantine” playlist — Round and round the record goes, needle scratching into the vinyl as the melodic sounds etch into our memories. It took a pandemic for me to develop a favorite playlist on Spotify — called “Inspiration in Quarantine” — and it is now a 3-year-old list that can play for over…

I say: impossible is attitude, not fact — It was an eery, long, winding, dark, tree-lined road — or so the story might have started if it was setting the stage for a Nancy Drew or Dean Koontz mystery scene. But it wasn’t — it was my life and my next steps forward. They said it wasn’t advisable…

A listicle of songs that got me through the pandemic After the first two weeks, when we all started realizing this quarantine situation was not going to end the way most of us first imagined, one of the first home-based projects my husband and I started was our Spotify playlist…

And so my writing journey began A SMILING WORLD: WHY I STARTED WRITING Yes — that’s my original 1973 diary, complete with the broken lock because either I lost the key or my little brother tore it open. I can’t remember if he opened this one or a subsequent one…

10 Ways You Can Build Your Gratitude Practice — Trisha Faye has a growing publication within Medium, called Good Vibes. And it was her own message about journaling on gratitude that I’m sharing a little of the exciting findings I’ve encountered on my own gratitude journey — now in its 14th year! There is a great organization called Greater…

Morning beauty in six-part Haiku — Birds begin chirping The sun rises in silence A new day starts now Babies are crying Dogs are barking to go out Where is my coffee?

When I start my day with awareness, even the challenges are embraceable — As long as I wake up and start my day with acknowledgement of the blessings, opportunities and even the surprising lagniappes in life, I find that I can navigate any challenges I encounter. Pretty bold statement, I daresay. And yet, I know its truth the way I know which of…