April Showers bring May Flowers

"A TIME FOR DANCING" – It can make the body sore and the soul soar.   Hiding behind my mother's chair was my favorite place to take dance lessons.  My five-year-old brain thought that rather than being a small spectacle on the dance floor, no one could see me doing my pliĆ©s behind a folding […]

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Lessons from the Garden “Sweet Peas and Sweet Peace”

Many parts of the world are still gripped with frozen weather, while other areas are on the fringes of spring time.  Here in our little corner of the world, spring has sprung and it's time to plant a garden.  The most unlikely candidates for delicate blossoms on the harsh desert landscape are in full bloom.  […]

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New Year’s Resolutions

MOVE and SHAKE Where are you on the Richter Scale of Life? A major earthquake fault line lurked beneath the lovely spot we landed on to celebrate Christmas.  It reminded us that lives can change instantly so we should record on today's gift of life that which is most treasured.  Jolts in our lives seem […]

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Star Wars and Christmas

Away from the Dark Side It's Christmas time and everywhere you look is a reminder that the greatest event of the season is a continuation of the Star Wars saga. Outdoing the displays of the Nativity, are the displays of the "must have" merchandise of the anticipated film. "What do you want for Christmas?", was inquired […]

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Worth Saluting

Rushing into the market, my eyes dashed around the unfamiliar layout of a neighborhood grocery store. Suddenly, as I turned the corner of the frozen section, wobbling directly toward me, came an elderly gentleman with slumped shoulders wearing a cap embellished with the "scrambled eggs" design of military distinction. Snapping to attention, I saluted him […]

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Eyeballs and Fried Brains

From Nani's Notes:  "Nothing gives you a better day on Halloween than a good hair day.  Make sure you use a lot of 'scare-spray.'"  The fear factor of Halloween was not normally my forte.  Ghouls, goblins, bats, black cats and bloody scary stuff never appealed to me.  When I was about 12 years-old, I broke […]

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“Let It Go”

Since the movie "Frozen" melted our hearts, little girls have been dressing up like Queen Elsa and singing full-throated versions of its theme song, "Let It Go."  It can be very freeing to let go of things.  Sometimes we even have to let go of toxic people who pull us down and seek to inhibit […]

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“Nani’s Notes” Digging for Golden Questions

Today a message came into my inbox that told of someone who had a house guest.  Although the saying goes that "fish and company stink after three days," the house guest had stayed for several weeks.  The host was chagrined that his guest had not showered the entire time.  Finally, the pungency of the predicament […]

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The Lord is My Light

From the beginning, light has been a source of peace, understanding, guidance and soul-stretching. Light led the way to the manger and to the source of all truth and goodness. Last night after a long day of hard labor, we hoisted our tired bodies into the cab of an aging dump truck. We began the […]

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