Our son was born with a birth defect called a cleft lip and palate. This happens when the lip and roof of a baby’s mouth doesn’t fully close up in the womb creating a gap, thus the “cleft.” During almost all of the pregnancy, we went about our lives completely unaware of it. Finding About…More
Tag Archives: happiness
You Are Blessed Today
Each day is a blessing. If the virus has taught us anything it is to appreciate the fundamental things in life, the essential, like life itself. If you’re breathing, that’s good. It’s great. Your lungs work as they should. You’re not on a respirator fighting to catch a tiny breath, feeling like your drowning without…More
This Is the Freedom You Can Hear
A choir of birds chirp outside my window each morning. And the melodies breathe a refreshing breeze into my soul that helps me face the day. It’s a simple sound, never ceasing to surprise and delight me, reminding me of something greater. Taking pleasure in the every-day moments, common yet majestic, can bring mirth even…More
Be More Unrealistic
“Let’s be realistic,” is a dream killing phrase, and I hate it. Don’t be realistic. Be foolish. Do that thing everyone says don’t do. Try that crazy idea that everyone says will fail. Go to that place everyone tells you not to go to. Failure is better than regret. With the former you learn. With…More
One Great Thing From Social Distancing
Strangers are waving at me, and I find myself waving back. They smile, and so do I. And you know what? It feels really good. In all of this we’re learning to appreciate strangers. There’s a longing for connection that we all have, especially when we’re as starved of it as we are these days.…More
How to Think When the Lockdowns Lift
The lockdowns will lift, likely soon. If they do, be patient. Don’t rush out to find normal. It’s not there. The virus still roams free. That means you shouldn’t. I won’t be seeing my mom, telling her it’s ok to go back to church. It’s not. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be optimistic. We…More
Have hope
Everything is in flux. The future is unclear, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have hope. Yes, a virus is ravaging our world, our countries, our neighborhoods, our lives. Fear is everywhere. Last week, I saw a woman open the door with one hand and the other one looked like it was cupping something small…More
You can win at life by doing this
Sometimes life is hard and feels impossible. But that’s when you should stop thinking about your life and focus on today. Don’t try to tackle life, that’s too much to take on all at once. That’s how you get overwhelmed, depressed, worried. Instead, just attack what you need to do at this moment: the tasks,…More
You’re more than your social media
You’re not your social media account, the number of followers you have, or the likes your post received, or didn’t. You’re not. You’re more—much more. Don’t base your feelings about yourself on your social media stats. They don’t make you inherently better or lesser than anyone else. You’re a human—not just an avatar and collection…More
True happiness can’t be bought
The best things in life don’t come with a receipt. But all of our lives we’ve been told—no, sold—that if we buy this or that thing we will be sexy, better, satisfied, happy. But it’s not true. We’ve been duped. I remember going into stores and buying this or that article of clothing for my…More
John Pa 