Writings & Musings:

"It seems to me, that if we love, we grieve. That's the deal. That's the pact. Grief and love are forever intertwined. Grief is the terrible reminder of the depths of our love and, like love, grief is non-negotiable. There is a vastness to grief that overwhelms our minuscule selves. We are tiny, trembling clusters of atoms subsumed within grief's awesome presence. It occupies the core of our being and extends through our fingers to the limits of the universe. Within that whirling gyre all manner of madnesses exist; ghosts and spirits and dream visitations, and everything else that we, in our anguish, will into existence. These are precious gifts that are as valid and as real as we need them to be. They are the spirit guides that lead us out of the darkness." 

Nick Cave (Musician) October 2018  Letter to a grieving fan

"We don't have to have the answers or know what to do to be the answer our children need. The answer is in being, not knowing or doing". 

Dr. Gordon Newfeld - Attachment Expert

Parenting Through the Pandemic - April 16, 2020

"Being a parent makes you feel like a blanket that's always too small. No matter how hard you try to cover everyone, there's always someone who's freezing." 

Fredrik Backman - an excerpt from the novel Beartown

"Treasures are sought because they are unique. They are different.  They are timeless, despite the time that passes after they come to existence. They are not easily found because , To get to them, one must work hard. One must dig deep. One must appreciate the value at hand. You are deep. You are valuable. so let others dig you up."

Najwa Zebian

"Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark."

Rabindranath Tagore - aka Ravindranatha Thakura (1861-1941)

"You can't test your courage timidly. You have to run through the fire, arms waving, legs pumping and heart beating wildly with the effort of reclaiming something vital, lost, laid aside or just plain forgotten. When you do that, you discover that we shine most brightly in community, the whole bedraggled, worn, frayed and tattered lot of us, bound together forever by a shared courage, a family forged in the heat of earnest struggle."

Richard Wagamese (Embers: One Ojibway's Meditation)

Hmmmm.  Interesting Media:

Advocating For Increased Parental Leave for Adoptive Parents

TED Talk - Dr. Nadine Burke Harris - ACES

TED Talk - Caroline McHugh - The Art of Being Yourself 

TED Talk - Brene Brown

TED Talk - Christoph Niemann - The Language of Pictures

The Key To A Restful Vacation: Work Less, Get More Done

Toxic Workplaces

The Link Between Obesity & Childhood Trauma

Rethinking Foster Care