It was wonderful to wake up to beautiful blue skies and sunshine this morning. My normal behavior on a day like today would be to pull the covers back over my head and stay in bed, but that was not the case this morning. Today marks two years since losing Randy. It is a sad day indeed, one that could send me tumbling right back down the mountain I am working so hard to climb. Today is very different than this date last year. There is more to it than just being distanced from

Are you way past ready for Covid19 to be over? Are you going stir crazy or wondering if you have early on-set dementia because you can't remember what day it is, let alone the date? Then join me for this 30-DAY Better Mind & Body Challenge! Click the link to join the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BetterMindBodyChallenge/ I am starting today, May 1st because something needs to change. There are many things in life we cannot control right now, so we have to focus on wh

When darkness invades my soul Pain permeates every fiber of my being Can I ever be made whole? It seems impossible to recover from this crushing blow I cry and weep and mourn what is lost It haunts every waking moment, like a never-ending nightmare, it seizes me, and won't let go I run from it, trying to escape it and be free But it chases me and hunts me down Then it drags me back, locks me up, and holds me in captivity How can I escape this prison? Oh, where is the key? I a

The intense colors of autumn have been spectacular this year! As the leaves are falling and the brilliant hues are fading away, we are left with barren trees and a colorless landscape. Today we suddenly find ourselves covered in a blanket of snow and ice, with temperatures that make you shiver. It is a reminder of how quickly things can change, but also that seasons only last for a time. So it is with life... Dear friend, if you suddenly find yourself in a difficult season of

Maybe you're like me and you have been waiting your entire life for things to change. Well, I don't know about you, but I finally got tired of waiting because I wasn’t getting anywhere, and I decided to get moving because life is short. The fear of never knowing if I could, began to outweigh the fear of failing. I decided it was worth the risk to take a few baby steps and see what would happen. A little over two years ago I began taking those small steps and that's when every

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. After losing my oldest son, Tommy, to suicide 8 years ago this is a topic that will be close to my heart for the rest of my life. Much progress has been made through the efforts of suicide prevention and awareness programs and I know this has saved lives, but we still have a long voyage ahead of us. There is still a stigma with mental health issues today and we have much work to do on our mental health care system. I b

Friday, August 30th, would be Randy's 62nd birthday. As the day is drawing near, sadness is creeping into my heart with thoughts of all the things that we will never get to do together. When these thoughts begin to swirl in my head, I feel dizzy and lightheaded. Then I realize I am doing it again… I am holding my breath. It isn't something I do consciously. It just happens. I don't know if it is a common symptom of grief or anxiety, or maybe both, but I have found myself doin

I am still trying to soak in the wealth of wisdom and the personal growth challenges I received at the Global Leadership Summit earlier this month. It is easy to be inspired by someone who has overcome immense hurdles and persevered against all odds, and even human reason, at times. The difficult part is taking the seeds of inspiration and planting them, so they take root and blossom into life-changing personal transformation. When Bear Grylls, of Man vs. Wild fame, shared hi

Last week I began to have an overwhelmingly anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I haven't been able to shake it. It feels sort of like a combination of too much sugar, caffeine, and adrenaline all rolled into one, except I haven’t gone overboard on any of those lately. It has kept me awake into the wee hours of the last four nights. Amazingly, our bodies have the ability to be aware of and process life before our minds even recognize what's going on. So, what has be

With the recent loss of two precious lives in my surrounding community, this topic is still heavy on my heart. This message is one I continue to feel compelled to share. I believe that our society’s perspective on mental health, suicide, and the stigma that surrounds it must change. We need to deal with it out in the open. This complex problem is all around us and we cannot continue to deny it or try to hide it any longer. The things we try to hide because we feel ashamed oft

I hope that by sharing my story you will have an even deeper perspective into the desperate need for adequate mental health care in our communities, in our states, and in our nation. For too long we have separated physical health and mental health, and we have been unwilling to recognize the fact that they are intertwined with one another. While we have made great strides in medical care for our physical bodies, we have largely ignored our mental health, not recognizing it as