A few days ago a member of our extended family was killed suddenly in a car accident. He lived on the other side of the country from the rest of his family. Without warning, the family was left to make all the arrangements with very little information. The pain of the unexpected loss is compounded by significant and unnecessary expense to gather all the necessary information.

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Last week I had a hectic travel schedule with just one day home to prepare for leaving again the next day to spend a week visiting my Mom in the nursing home in Nebraska. On my way back from New Jersey, my husband called and said, “There’s a movie you really need to see. You’ll like it. It’s called Hugo.” At first the idea seemed incredulous because of time restraints. On my only day in town, I had scheduled four meetings, and needed to pack to leave the next day. Then I remembered all the information I’ve been reading and writing lately regarding the power of “rejuvenation.”

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OK, it’s “true confessions” time... At the beginning of the year, I identified that the most important thing for me to accomplish in 2012 was to get more sleep, and I used PEI’s 5-step process to outline my intention:

1. State Your Vision
2. Identify Your Obstacle
3. Commit Your Resources
4. Design Your Plan
5. Maintain Your Success

In Step 4, I wrote that I would record the number of hours of sleep I got each night in my Planner Pad. Then, at the end of the quarter I would access my progress, but I've decided in my own best interest, I was going to check my progress at the end of the first 30 days. I did, and the results were disappointing to say the least.

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When I was growing up on the farm in Nebraska, my piano was my best friend. My mother said she could tell what kind of day I had had at school by what I was playing when she came home from work! Sitting on that piano bench, I poured out my emotions from elation to devastation. Years later, when I went through my divorce, and felt so devastated I couldn't pray, I would sit at the piano and play hymns to God.

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Bertie Forbes, founder of Forbes magazine is quoted as saying, “History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.” Research shows that 70% of people who make New Year’s resolutions have abandoned them before the end of the month. The cause: discouragement.

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New Year’s weekend had a variety of physical and emotional challenges for me, and when I woke up on January 3 and looked around the house, there was only one word to describe it: “disaster!” My initial reaction was to start digging in rather than engage in my usual morning routine of coffee, Bible study, prayer, and contemplation. Fortunately, my better judgment kicked in before I got totally off on the wrong track for the day. Add a comment

Recently I spent a week with my mother who is in a nursing home under Hospice care in a small town in Nebraska. It is a challenging situation watching someone you love dearly whose mind is, as we say in NE, "sharp as a tack," but whose body is simply worn out. I wasn't feeling anything but happy. Then on Sunday, I attended church with my brother. The sermon, entitled "Joy versus Happiness", was one of the most wonderful Christmas gifts I have ever received. In a nutshell, Pastor Lyle Schoen put it this way: "Happiness is an emotion you seek; joy is a divine gift you are given because of your relationship with Jesus Christ." I'm not sure why, at the age of almost 65, I haven't understood this before! Add a comment