The granddaughter shines with sparkle, Reflecting my own girlhood. Together, we are pals, peers. I memorize her face because This day is only a moment. I take her into my heart. My spirit celebrates Her newness to the world. A mirror of decades gone by. Who will she be, in the end, When I’m […]
Generations Celebrate Time Read More »
We can’t stop talking about the inspiring speech Oprah Winfrey delivered as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2018 Golden Globes. Powerful. Enchanting. Engaging. That’s what many are saying. But why? Forget politics for a moment (please!) and look at the elements that bring this electrifying speech to life. Even more importantly,
O is for Oprah: Six Ways to Speak Dynamically Read More »
Do you have a favorite Christmas carroll? When anyone asks me, I choose “Oh Holy Night.†The truth is, I really like one phrase of that song, “…and the soul felt its worth.” Unlike most significant lyrics, it’s only sung once in the beginning of the song, so you have to be ready for it.
And the Soul Felt Its Worth Read More »
Dear Beauty, Have children’s books ever clarified your thinking? I love the ones where a lesson is skillfully embedded into a simple story. Today I’m thinking of the beloved book, The Blind Men and the Elephant. You may remember, these six men each touched one part of the elephant and were completely confident that their limited
Self-Worth Lessons from the Blind Men and An Elephant Read More »
Hello Earthly Woman, Recently, a friend sent me a wonderful prayer that has become a part of my daily meditation ritual. The prayer honors the feminine nature of God, something  lacking in the traditional Christian culture. It seems to me it is time to honor the feminine along with the masculine in every aspect of
A Prayer to Our Loving Mother Earth Read More »
Hello Strong Woman! This week, I’ve been thinking about the benefits of knowing the backstory of strong and powerful women. The world can be a scary place, and hearing the stories of other women who have survived challenges, and then thrived, inspires me. I feel as if somehow we are walking hand in hand through the
Why Do I Need to Know Your BackStory? Read More »
Happy New Year Lovely, Ready or not, January is here again and our journey into 2017 begins. Since my name is Jan (shortened from Janice many years ago because I always thought Janice sounded like somebody’s mother), I feel like everyone’s talking about me when they use this abbreviation. However Jan./January was actually named after
Hello There, January! Read More »
Dear Gifted Woman, This is truly the Season of Giving. Our escalated motivation for giving might comes from the millions of twinkling lights we see around us, or memories evoked from hearing traditional holiday music, the gift of the Christ child, or maybe through Santa’s magical way of giving us what we want. No matter what is true for you, it’s a
The Magic Giving Circle Read More »
Dear Wise Woman, Today’s guest writer is someone I have admired for a long time. Carol and I were in the same cadre at Prairiewoods (a Franciscan Retreat Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) as we worked to get our masters degrees in servant-leadership. She’s is a retired bank examiner and now, among other hobbies, a
Finding Yourself in the Swamp-Carol’s Voice Read More »
