On My Mind Today

There is magic in the wind,  and her wings bring enchantment as they fly. Some days they will envelop us in warmth, and others the bitter cold will cut through us like a knife. March winds come in cold from the north, and become gradually warmer as spring arrives. As they rush through, they cleanse away the weariness of winter, preparing us for new growth to come. Summer days her wings will feed our soul with a warm southerly breeze, bringing much needed contentment. Its warmth reaches into our bones and eases daily worries for a time. We cling to this warmth for as long as we can, as we know these days will be shorter than our heart desires. The magic of fall arrives on cooler winds that still have a hint of warmth. Her wings carry that distinctive smell of autumn, a mix of drying leaves, wood fires, and spices from homemade apple pies  awakening memories from the past. As fall begins to fade, the wind whirls falling leaves for one final dance. Winter winds can be so harsh an...

The blame game has become more prevalent, and extremely dangerous to our country over the past year. Fueled by hate speech from the top, telling people who to blame for all that is wrong in their life, and elected politicians who refuse to uphold their oath and do their jobs, the division that has been created should have everyone deeply concerned. We have a choice to either reject the hatred and work towards creating a better world or sit back and allow things to deteriorate even further.  Once again, I ask, "who do you blame?" When our lot in life is not as we envisioned it's easy to find someone to blame for this. Circumstances in our lives sometimes play a role, but the biggest culprit is the economy. When the increase in the cost of living has outpaced the increase in wages, it's a recipe for disaster. What ensues is the finger pointing game. Those with money and power will try to tell us who we need to blame for our financial troubles. Over and over, they will s...

If you love peanut butter cookies, but need a gluten-free option, these will become a favorite. This recipe comes from the Woman's Day Kitchen, and it pairs the perfect peanut butter cookies with chocolate ganache, and who can resist peanut butter and chocolate? It is one of my favorite combinations. Nothing better than a cup of coffee and a cookie! Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies 2 cups creamy peanut butter 2 cups packed light-brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup coarsely chopped cocktail peanuts Ganache: 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 cut bittersweet chocolate chips Garnish: chopped peanuts 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat peanut butter, sugar, eggs and baking soda in large bowl with electric mixer for 2 minutes or until smooth and blended. Stir in 1 cup chopped peanuts. 2. Drop by level teaspoonful 2 inches apart, flat side down, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake, one sheet at a time, 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed and slightly golden. Cool 5 minutes an...

Wake up members of the human race! There is a negative force in play that is working overtime to turn us all against one another, and the sad part is many don't even realize it. Open your eyes to what is happening in our world: We have become a society of I, me and my, and have lost we, us and our that hold us together. People who feel their opportunities have been taken away are being drawn into messages of hatred and fear that separate us. The negative forces have cunningly pitted us against each other along religious, political and ethnic lines, magnifying our differences. We have "leaders" who are not leading to unify, but to divide. In that division they become more powerful because nobody is paying attention. Those who swore to serve and represent us no longer do so. Afraid to go against their "party" they are not standing up to the false leaders. The messages of hatred and fear are fueling hate groups making them feel empowered; with that false power they...

The nurturer knows no other way, they are driven to protect and help. No matter the circumstance someone may be in, their inner voice will move them to lend a hand. They do not know how to step away, no matter how difficult the situation may be. They tell themselves there must be at least one thing to do to lift someone from their dark days. If I could just do this, or maybe that, their burden will be not so great. My shoulders are strong and ready to help, to lessen the load that they carry. These providers refuse to give up, even when everything tells them they should. It is unbearable to accept that they have reached the end of any assistance they are able to give. The nurturer ends up weary at times from trying to help so many. As they keep pushing themselves, they may eventually become aware  that some do not even want to help themselves. Despite their attempts they need to accept that at times they need to step back. No matter how hard they try, every now and then, there is n...

There are many parents who do an excellent job of giving the right mix of praise and constructive criticism to their children.    You can see it in their children who have a healthy self-esteem, the ability to move forward when they make a mistake, and good social skills. Then there are those who give too much praise – to the point of making their children believe that everything they do is right. We all know that is not possible and only sets them up for disappointment when they do fail as they won’t know how to move forward from there. They also don’t know how to allow others to come first as they are used to being the center of attention. And there are those who only seem to tell their children what they do wrong. We all see it every day when we are out in public. The child who is being corrected for all they do and never receiving a word of praise. I can only imagine how heart breaking it is for them to always hear nothing but negative feedback from their parents. Every ti...