As I write this in August 2019, the amazing writer Toni Morrison has just died at age 88. Her writing prowess is legendary, but in the way she accepted the greatest honor of her life, she taught me an important life lesson I will never forget. Tributes to Toni Morrison Toni Morrison was the first […]
Self-Knowledge (Connect with Self)
7 Ways To Make Your Next Vacation More Soul-Nourishing
Not only is it essential for you to take vacations and breaks from your normal routine, but there are ways you can ensure that those you take are more therapeutic and soul nourishing. This is an update to a post from the Heartspoken archives. Breaks are essential to our well-being As soon as we lifted off […]
Heartspoken Moment: Say NO More Often
“Say NO more often and YES more fully.” ~ Laura West, Joyful Business Most of us have trouble saying “No” According to happiness expert Gretchen Rubin, when it comes to the way we humans handle inner and outer expectations,* most of us are “Obligers.” I certainly am, and that means it’s hard for me to […]
How Am I Doing? Checking In With My 19 for 2019 List
Instead of New Year’s Resolutions, I was inspired by Gretchen Rubin and her sister Elizabeth Craft to make a “19 for 2019” list instead. It’s June and I’ve just pulled out the list to see how I’m doing. Mid-year review of my 19 for 2019: Polish and publish my 40-day devotional called Stepping Stones to God […]
It’s Never Too Late To Find Success, Happiness, Or Your Soul Mate
Heartspoken’s guest Cynthia Trevino tells how she took steps to create the mental and emotional space she needed to shift her priorities and break some unhealthy patterns in her life. What she learned can be a blueprint for finding clarity and focus in pursuit of your own most #HeartspokenLife. Learn more about Cynthia below. ~ […]
Heartspoken Moment: Be Yourself
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” ~ Oscar Wilde Wanting to be liked is a powerful temptation At my age, it’s a lot easier to follow the “Be yourself” advice than it was when I was a young woman, but I continue to be surprised how powerful and tempting it is to want to […]
Spring Cleaning Can Blast You Out Of Winter’s Black Hole!
Spring is here at last and spring cleaning is a tried and true ritual! Why do we still associate spring with spring cleaning? Certainly, in prairie cabins a century ago, when the wind blew dust through the chinks between the logs, spring was the first time the sun was warm enough to dry those curtains […]
Book Review: On The Brink Of Everything by Parker J. Palmer
On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old by Parker J. Palmer Reviewed by Elizabeth H. Cottrell Published 2018 240 pages (Hardcover edition) 5 stars out of 5 Parker J. Palmer is among my favorite authors because he writes beautifully and honestly about the questions, challenges, and paradoxes of life. His writing explores, […]