A woman recently wrote to me and shared the story of her younger sister’s death…a sister 16 years younger than herself. The police have one theory of what happened to her sister—suicide, an overdose. She has another theory. The FBI is investigating. She asks me, “How did you do it?” Because many of you who […]

Asa Hill, a 7-year-old boy who loved to sing and dance, wanted his parents to marry. This past Monday that wish came true…in a service with 1,100 people and with hundreds more overflowing onto the church lawn where sound systems were set up so they could hear the service. Monday also happened to be the […]

Before the inquest into Cindy’s death…and eight and a half months after her disappearance…my siblings and I took a trip to Africa…to Nairobi…to Mombasa (including snorkeling in the Indian Ocean)…to Lake Nakuru…even to Governor’s Camp near the Mara River. We had an amazing adventure! (How could you not!) Africa was a place I’d always dreamed […]

I’m so glad yesterday’s memorial service for Michael Jackson included a rendition of Heal The World, the song he created while in his Giving Tree at the Neverland Ranch…a song he and David Foster produced and released in 1991! Oh, if only we could all strive to make this world a better place for everyone! […]

As I mentioned in a previous Blog post, not so long ago I inherited some things from my parents. And tucked away in what was obviously a special box my mother kept, I found several poems in my now deceased sister’s, Cindy James, handwriting. Here is another of that discovered poetry: You made us smile […]

This is the time of year, for many of us, when our thoughts turn to planting and gardening. Having recently purchased a home and moved, I find myself immersed in planting and gardening (among all those chores and tasks of cleaning, unpacking, rearranging…) –yes, creating and strategically placing flower baskets, cleaning flowerbeds and a raspberry […]

Here’s one response to my Blog post of last Saturday that asked, “What blessings have you found among the sadness during your grief journey this past year?” I have found that I am sustained by my memories of my daughter – her laughter, her funny faces, the way she sat, the way she clasped her […]

You can make this world a better place by contributing to the people you meet every day. It’s as simple as: 1. Smiling, and seeing how others respond. –Give someone the gift of your smile and kindness. It’s amazing how easily you can uplift someone with a smile! 2. Saying something positive to at least […]

Imagine finding happiness and improving your health. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Well guess what? –You can find both…simply by participating in the act of giving! And you’ll be improving the lives of others at the same time. True giving is always done out of love, with NO expectation of “now you owe me something”. (But […]

Let me explain how grieving is like an initiation into insight—if you can become aware of what is happening, you can be awakened to a greater understanding of life (you can have an insight into the truth of life). Yes, death is a stepping-stone in our journey of awareness—an opportunity for insight. We contemplate the […]