My mom passed away last year, and this is my first mother's day without her. It's not that I am missing her more, because of mother's day, because I miss her every day. But I'm very conscious of her absence around this holiday. In this past year, I've noticed that nothing that can bring mom to mind quicker than the right song. My mother loved music. She loved music in a way I can't quite understand. Sure, I enjoy a good pop song, but for my mom, music spoke right to her heart. Her Continue Reading

Dove has done it again. It's a little like NPR's StoryCorp. I can't listen to those stories without tearing up, and I can't watch one of Dove's self esteem videos without blinking back a few tears. So this week, I'm spinning a tale inspired by their "Choose Beautiful" video. If you're not familiar with Dove's Self Esteem Project, they've created material to help parents and teachers improve girls' self-esteem. As part of Dove's effort, they've created multiple videos bringing attention to Continue Reading

Kindness in words creates confidence, Kindness in thinking creates profoundness, Kindness in giving creates love. Lao-Tse Do you ever look at the daily news and despair? If all around you are stories of people doing bad things, then you're only getting part of the story. Here are a few stories of people Living Generously. Locks for Love In February 2014, one of Gerdi McKenna's friends wrote an email requesting a photoshoot for all her friends as she was diagnosed with Continue Reading

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. Epictetus We are making our way through the 7 Generosity Habits. We've already discussed Habit 1: Physical Health, Habit 2: Mindfulness, Habit 3: Connecting With Others, and Habit 4: Connecting With Yourself. That brings us to Habit 5... Gratitude Gratitude is a keystone habit whose good effects cascade through your life improving nearly every area: physical, emotional, Continue Reading