Tag Archives: joy

Kindred Spirits You’re Destined To Meet

“When you encounter someone you were destined to meet the conversation will take flight as if it were on the wings of angels, complete strangers confiding in each other as if you were lifelong friends.” – Kevin Hall Have you ever had the experience of meeting someone for the first time, but having that feeling […]

Including Lost Loved Ones In Your Holiday Celebration

Losing a loved one hurts a lot. It’s a pain that never really goes away, it just becomes a little more bearable as time goes on. And while I am grateful that my religious beliefs are that we will see our loved ones again someday in the eternities, there is still the hurts of missing […]

The Light of Hope Still Shines, Even in 2020

With the craziness of traveling to Washington DC over the Thanksgiving holiday and returning home and immediately jumping on an all day zoom session of meetings and then speaking on a panel at a University, I hadn’t even noticed that the month of December had begun… Then I saw that I’d gotten a text from […]

Celebrating Daughters and Sons

To be honest I’d never even heard of a National Daughters Day until I saw a post on Facebook over the weekend from my Mother wishing her five daughters a happy National Daughters Day. I of course immediately googled it to find out what she was referring to.  Come to find out Friday September 25th […]

Want To Be Happy? Try A Dose Of Nostalgia

If you want to be happy try a good old dose of nostalgia. For those not familiar with that term it is defined in the dictionary as, “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.” With all the madness in 2020 I’ve thought quite […]

Relive A Favorite Memory

One of my favorite memories from childhood was a vacation with my family when I was a young girl living in Puyallup Washington. My parents took us to the San Juan Islands just off the coast to stay in a cabin on Orcas Island.  I remember taking the ferry over to stay in a little […]

This Too Shall Pass Away

After a particularly difficult day today I got a text reminding me that “this too shall pass”. It made me think about the words in this poem: THIS TOO SHALL PASS AWAY When sorrows come into your lifeAnd threaten to destroyThe very things you treasure most,Your happiness and joy; And when that crushing powerThreatens everything […]

Come What May And Love It

Joseph B. Worthlin shared the following story that has had a huge impact on my life: “When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home […]

Wish Flower Or Weed?

One day my husband and I were walking along a riverbank when I looked over and saw an awesome Wish Flower. I used to see them all the time when I was a little girl living in Puyallup, Washington. They were all over our backyard and as kids we would go out and pick the […]

These Days The Little Moments Mean A Whole Lot More

Fourth of July has always been one of our family’s favorite holidays. And one of our favorite family traditions for Fourth of July is attending the Stadium of Fire celebration held in Utah.  Stadium of Fire boasts a huge headline musical performer each year (past years have included Carrie Underwood, One Republic, Keith Urban, Journey, […]

If No One Can See Your Mouth Is It Still Worth Smiling?

We’ve all heard the question, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear, does it make a sound?”  As I was out and about with me N95 mask on today I thought to myself, “If you have a smile on my face but no one can see your mouth […]

The Best Antidote For Worry

“The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired.  One of the greatest ironies of life is this:  He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”       -Gordon B. Hinckley Today I […]

Ordinary Miracles Are Happening Around You Each Day – Watch For Them!

With things slowly starting to re-open here in Utah again our family is anxiously awaiting the reopening of our beloved Lake Powell. We can’t wait for the marina to get back up and operational again as we are all longing to be able to take a trip on our houseboat again. Our Lake Powell vacations […]

Don’t Let Today’s Disappointments Cast A Shadow On Tomorrow’s Dreams

“Don’t let today’s disappointments cast a shadow on tomorrow’s dreams.” ~Unknown Life is full of curve balls that are bound to come up and mess up our best laid plans. It’s a part of life that cannot be stopped from happening. Unexpectedly loved ones pass away, family members fall ill, injuries occur, vehicles break down, […]

Resolve To Be Happy Regardless Of Our Circumstances

With all that’s going on currently with COVID-19 the words of this talk which shares some universal regrets that dying patients have gives us much to consider about how we ought to look at things. It’s a talk given by one of my favorite speakers, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, titled “Of Regrets and Resolutions” and here […]

Fresh Air And Sunshine Are Good For The Soul

“Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.”  – Laura Ingalls Wilder I’ve been so focused on getting my home organized the last few weeks that I had forgotten how good it feels just to step outside and feel the sunshine on your face. After another long day of working inside […]

Why Me?

I started reading through things I’d written in past years Aprils to try and remind myself of what my Aprils used to be like before this pandemic. Ironically, the first thing I flipped to was an article I’d written back in April of 2013 that was published in Forbes, and when you read what I’d […]

There’s No Kill Switch On AWESOME

“There’s no kill switch on AWESOME.”  – Dilbert A woman who worked with terminally ill patients often asked them what their biggest regrets were from their life.  One of the regrets shared was that they wish they had let themselves be happier.  Note the phrase “let themselves be happier”, which was them acknowledging that they […]

You May Be The Very Person That Can Do It

“You were born with the ability to change someone’s life. Don’t ever waste it.” We often hear that we must help ourselves before we can help someone else, and to some extent I believe that to be true.  But I also find it to be true that one of the best ways to help ourselves […]

“If I Would Have Known Then What I Know Now. But I Did, And So Do You.”

She knew she was dying when she wrote the note which read:  “Regrets? I have a few. Too much worrying about finding the right husband and having children, being on time, being late and so on. It didn’t matter. It all works out, and it would have worked out without the worries and the tears. […]

Never Take For Granted How Blessed You Are To Still Have Them Around

I was sitting at a corner booth that butted up against the back window at a restaurant today for a business meeting over lunch.  The rest of the group was seated on the bench seat with their backs to the window and I was seated at a chair facing the window.  As I was in […]

Starting The Decade Off Right!

Welcome back from the holidays everyone! And even more so, welcome to 2020!!! We have officially begun a whole new decade. It’s so exciting! After spending the Christmas holiday with our family here at home, which was fabulous, my husband and I decided to fly down to California to spend a few romantic days alone […]

Happier Giving Or Getting? That is the question…

We’ve all heard the saying “tis better to give than to receive”, but did you realize that’s actually a scientifically proven fact?  Cause it is!  In an article was posted in Psychology Today titled “Giving really is better than receiving: Does giving to others (vs. the self) promote happiness?” they explain it: “Research by social […]

Hard Times Lead Us To Question

When good people pass away it can cause those left behind to start questioning things – Why did this good person with so much to live for have to be taken too soon?  Why would a loving God take them from us when they are so needed by so many here?  What good purpose does […]

The Importance Of Saying Thank You

My two year old grandson came barreling in the door of the house calling out “Grandma…Grandma” as he ran over to me to give me a hug.  I’m telling ya….that is seriously just about THE GREATEST thing in the entire world! As I sat with him playing it made me long for the days when […]

Never Work A Day In Your Life?

Last Thursday was quite the whirlwind of a day!  I started off my day in the morning heading down to Provo Utah to speak at an event put on by RevRoad. RevRoad is a business accelerator for entrepreneurs that offers coworking space, legal services, marketing, accounting, mentoring services, etc in return for equity.  They asked […]

8 Reasons We Can’t Lighten Up

In one of Loretta Laroche’s talks (comedian, public speaker, author) she shares eight big reasons why people aren’t able to lighten up: Eight Reasons We Can’t Lighten Up 1.      We’re too busy. (Let’s face it? Will we ever not be busy?) 2.      We’re afraid of what they may say.  (I don’t know who they are, but they sure stop the laughter […]

Have You Ever Met A Hater Doing Better Than You? Me Neither.

“Haters don’t really hate you. In fact, they hate themselves because you’re a reflection of what they wish to be.” – unknown Today was World Day for Bullying Prevention, so it seems appropriate to share some past thoughts I’ve shared about bullying: Haters, bullies, mean people – they all suffer from one of the following: […]

Don’t Carry Excess Baggage

I’d packed and unpacked my suitcases so many times this last year that I wouldn’t even finish unpacking for one trip before I began packing again for the next one. Then I finally got around to unpacking them after my last trip but I left my suitcases sitting open on my bedroom floor because I […]

Don’t Let Your Mind Be A Dumping Ground

“If you suffer from worry, from grief or shame, from jealousy, disappointment, or envy, I have something to tell you. Somewhere near your home there is a vacant corner lot. Although adjoining yards may be well tended, a vacant corner lot somehow is always full of weeds. There is a footpath across it, a bicycle […]