Right in the middle of a friendship workshop the other day, a thought hit me that might give you something uplifting to think about. Actually, I’m slow to catch such thoughts, so the it came in two parts. Here goes. As participants of my workshop were busy writing a letter to one special friend, the […]
Sending Love is Like Painting a Wall Read More »
We can all use more love in our lives, that’s for sure, and February is a perfect month to express our love to others. Sometimes writing “you’re special to me” doesn’t feel like it gets to the heart of what I want to say. If you’ve ever thought that, here’s a workshop to inspire you
How to Create A Keepsake Letter for Those You Love Read More »
 Dear Santa, How are you? I am fine. I’ve been mostly good this year and so I’m pretty sure you’ll be coming to my house, although we don’t have a chimney. So I don’t know how you’re going to break into our house—but you seem to know how to do it every year. So I’ll
Because Mom’s mantra was, “Get along with your brothers and sisters,” the eight children of Alice and L.J. Whalen (hardly children today) do their best to comply with her deepest wishes. With that thought in mind, I’d like to tell you about two traditions you might want to adapt to your own family—or friends who
Two Ideas to Spread SEASONAL Gratitude and JOY Read More »
George Henry, photographer, author and community leader from Cedar Rapids, Iowa was selected as the subject of an interview for my servant-leadership class in the early 2000s. Just as classic stories never seem to age, neither does George, or his wisdom.  Enjoy. Interview with a Servant-Leader George Henry by Jan (Whalen) Roelofs George Henry’s life is
Servant-Leader Lessons from George Henry Read More »
As a child of the 60s, decked-out in my bell-bottoms, peace-symbol shirt and dangling love-beads, I dreamed about being creatively me. In my mind, creativity and freedom held hands and made a fist at the establishment—anyone over 40.  Looking at 40 from the other side, I realize that I didn’t know what I didn’t
Creativity: Cotton Candy or Problem Solving? Read More »
This story is 5 years old, yet it rings true today! Cara STILL has her degree and her education, and still inspires others with her story. ********* A college degree is one of the best gifts you’ll ever give yourself. It’s deliciously something you do for you and only you. It can’t be transferred, stollen
Educational Achievements are FOREVER Applauded Read More »
Writing is personal and tender and scary, and if you’re writing about your own life, you can multiply the fear by 10. There are a million stories you can choose to write, yet I’d recommend not skipping the ones about the struggles in your life. I call them Shark Stories or Mis-Adventures. So why would you
What are your SHARK SHERO Stories? Read More »
I’m really looking forward to presenting my most popular class of 2019 called Writing the Stories of Your Life. I had planned to offer this Story Workshop in the Spring of 2020, but then Covid hit. (sound familiar?) Luckily, our 2021 lets-make-lemonaide-out-of-lemons attitude presented a silver lining. So in March, you can experience the benefits of
Two ways to ZOOM a Writing Class in March Read More »
