Category Archives: grace

What The Buck? Let’s Talk Money, Honeys

Several weeks ago, without a second thought, a dear friend spotted me a dollar for a coffee refill at a cash-only cafe. In that moment, she may as well have been offering me a gold brick, so desperate was I … Continue reading

Posted in consciousness, grace, money, spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Hidden Splendor of Messy

I like things neat and tidy.   In my space, my relationships, and my communications. I need order to thrive. A teacher once explained, “To you, order is holy. It’s literally holy order.” This revelation banged like a gong of … Continue reading

Posted in chrismas, consciousness, family, grace, holidays, hope, humans, humor, love | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

It Can Be A Wonderful Life

It should really come as no surprise that It’s a Wonderful Life is not only my favorite holiday movie, but one of my favorite movies of all time. The story of the utterly decent George Bailey and his delayed dreams … Continue reading

Posted in chrismas, family, grace, holidays, hope, miracle, movies, spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Power of “No.”

Some dear friends were recently complimenting me on my ability to say “no.”

I was surprised yet pleased, because saying “no” doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve had to work at it like I’ve had to work on my posture or my penmanship, since saying “yes” is my reflex.

My sister and I have long shared a joke about the a nodding “yes” that almost indiscernibly segues into the gentle “no” — complete with the casual shaking of the head. When we observed people doing the “yyyeahhhhhhhnnnnnoooooo,” it cracked us up because it was so relatable. Neither of us really knew how to say “no.”

For years, I would automatically answer “yes” to invitations — Yo Alix, do you want to go ice fishing at 4 a.m.? (beat) Um, yeah — because I didn’t have the skills or confidence to kindly decline. God forbid I should offend someone. I mean, what if they don’t like me? Everyone has to like me, right? Right?

I would accept jobs, social obligations, or projects that I really wasn’t feeling for one reason or another but felt powerless to refuse. I really love people. I don’t want to let them down. It seemed much easier to let me down than let others down. Continue reading

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A Flood of Global Hope for You in 2010

Happy New Year Fellow Hopefuls! On the Christian calender, today is the Epiphany (also known as Twelfth Night or Little Christmas), the day the Three Kings arrived in Bethlehem to visit Baby Jesus and present him with their gifts. It … Continue reading

Posted in blogging, compassion, family, flood, globe, grace, hope, humans, intention, kids, love, miracle, new year, politics, soldier, son, spirituality, war, world | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments