When I came across the phrase “Fiercely Loyal” and I immediately thought of our dog, Griffin. Most dogs are known for their loyalty to their master, but our dog was what we considered to be fiercely loyal.
He used to sit on the back of our couch with the most intense gaze on our pear tree, watching a family of squirrels in anticipation of their next move. …
When the kids were little, it was a real struggle to help them see beyond the bunny and candy to understand what Easter was really about. I always tried to be purposeful in the way we celebrated the Holiday. One way was to share what makes Easter more meaningful to me.
When I was in college I spent a semester studying abroad in Israel. Passover and Easter were celebrated while I was there. The memory of my experience during those holidays continues to make Easter meaningful each year.
The Last Supper
One evening, just a few days before Easter, our professors led us…
When you’re feeling stress levels on the rise, here are a few tips to keep it a little more manageable.
Stress is rush hour traffic when you’re late, an argument with a family member, or persistent employment worries. It’s the unknowns of a medical diagnosis, the demands of caring for an aging parent, or the looming stack of overdue bills.
While our triggers may be different, any situation we perceive as threatening or requires us to adjust or change can set off stress. It often creeps in quietly through the back door and before we know it we feel overwhelmed with the burdens that have seemingly mounded up from nowhere.
Researchers are beginning to understand the long-term effects of stress…
Emotions are powerful, and understanding how to navigate our feelings is one of the most useful things we can learn. Their influence over us is impressive, and when we recognize their driving power, we can leverage that knowledge to make the changes we want in ourselves and our lives.
Thoughts do create feelings, but that doesn’t mean we want to feel good 100% of the time. It doesn’t indicate we only want to think happy, positive thoughts.
Our brain desperately wants to create a 50/50 experience where we feel good 50% of the time, and 50% of the time, we…
I love the message of Tim McGraw’s song “Live Like You Were Dying.” Have you ever listened carefully to the words? My take away? — each day is a gift and we have but one chance to make it count.
I’ve long been a collector of words. In high school, I had a special notebook, in which I carefully wrote some of my favorite quotes under a topic header. I’ve always appreciated how words play with my thought process, give me insight into someone else’s mind and often bring a new perspective to an old idea. …
What we think, we become.
It was around Christmas time when I received a “BELIEVE” sign as a gift from a friend. My oldest daughter soon claimed it as her own, and she hung it proudly above her bed.
While the sign may have been intended to inspire a belief in Santa or the general Christmas spirit, for my daughter, it represented something more. It became her motto or mantra and a reminder for me as well. Every time I walked into her room, I saw my responsibility, as a parent, to let her know I believed in her.
The word “believe” can be applied…
Have you ever noticed how many songs there are about mountains? A quick google search shows 58 songs with the word Mountain in the title. Mountains are a common symbol of conquering the hard and difficult things in life, and rightly so. The lessons I learned from Mt. Sherman can be paralleled to life.
Along the Colorado Rocky Mountain Range, there are 54 fourteeners — Mountains that are 14,000 feet in elevation or more. To many, the quest of climbing all 54 becomes an item on their bucket list, but for our family, it was simply a goal to climb…
One beloved story from the New Testament profoundly teaches us about Peace and the power of stillness.
After a long day of teaching the people along the Galilee shore, the Savior and his dear disciples set sail to cross the sea. I’m sure He was exhausted when he found a place to lay down and quickly fell asleep. We don’t know how long His disciples battled the “great storm of wind,” and waves that “beat into the ship,” but they must have been terribly concerned. These experienced fishermen woke Jesus, saying:
Love is an intangible object. Just because we can’t feel something doesn’t mean that it’s not there. Sometimes it is a matter of learning how to think in a new way, discovering what adjustments and changes will allow our spirit to recognize Heavenly Father’s love. There are five things I’ve found, when I do them regularly, help me to understand how to feel God’s love, and inspire change.
For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self…
Whether you believe gratitude is a feeling, emotion, mood, or some type of personality trait, there is no doubt gratitude elicits greater satisfaction and overall happiness. Science is even proving gratitude to be a great tool in overcoming depression and anxiety.
The act of regularly practicing gratitude may mean a little more mental work, but the dividends far outweigh the effort. More powerful than any pill you can pop, gratitude is a natural mood enhancer.
Why Practice Gratitude?
When it comes to happiness, our focus is often on what we are experiencing on the outside. It is easy to get stuck thinking our…
