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All content on this blog is copyright protected.~ask permission to use my content (including re-blogging)Margaret Barry Settlement House
I am a perennial optimist
I Am Becoming the Me I Was Born To Be
As I journey through this part of my life I have discovered my next mountain. The key is to be the me I want to be in the world, as my gift back to God.-
Recent Posts
- Good Wednesday to you
- wishing you porch swings and compasses
- Pause with me
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was right
- I fell in love with the ocean
- H2O therapy
- Get out there …
- Stay in grace
- Sometimes You Just Have to Have Popcorn
- Wait …. ok, let’s go
- May God bless you tonight
- The Great Depression & my parents
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December 2021 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Archives
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Smiling Jesus: by Frances Hook
Candle Lighter Award: To find other awards, click on awards button in header bar.
Tag Archives: writing
Writing can heal and change
I have always felt that sharing and openness can help to effect change–not only in ourselves, but in others. I came of age during the time when my generation shared their feelings, journaled, participated in encounter groups, went on retreats, … Continue reading
Dreams are illustrations – part 1 of 2
“Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you”. Marsha Norman. I love this quote. Whether we consider the dreams that happen while we are asleep, or whether we are talking about the dreams that we have … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Literature
Tagged blogging, education, inspiration, teaching, writing
14 Comments
We are the new journalists
I wanted you to know that what you do, what you write, what you share, what you photograph…..MATTERS. Here is a suggestion–look over your own past posts. Go back a year and look at what you posted (or if you … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Literature
Tagged blogging, Faith, Friendship, inspiration, writing
46 Comments
Oh Write It On Your Heart!
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year”. Watching the news this morning I saw Crosby, Stills and Nash talking about their current concert tour. Between that and Sir … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Literature
Tagged Emerson, God, inspiration, write on your heart, writing
8 Comments
My Life-long Friendship with Books
Long-time readers of my blog will recognize some of this post. I am uninspired this week—so some of it is pasted in, but I have added some new thoughts to it, too. I decided not to wait any longer for … Continue reading
Posted in faith/courage/miracles/hope
Tagged book series, Books, tapestry, writers, writing
25 Comments
Verbose or Concise
I have made this letter longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter.Blaise Pascal I love that quote by Pascal! It comes to mind today because I have been working on essay projects with my students. … Continue reading
Never In a Million Years
I have always been a writer. When I was in elementary school I would fill the scratch pads my dad brought home from work with my stories. I put one of those stories (and created card catalog cards for it) … Continue reading
Don’t Kill the Dream
“Don’t kill the dream; execute it”. Remember~listen to the uplifting. Toss the negative out the window. Open the blinds and drapes. Let in the joy. A little over a year ago I started this blog. I was tired of negativity … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Literature
Tagged Faith, Friendship, inspiration, Ricky Nelson, writing
27 Comments
Goal!!!!!!!!
I was thinking about my son’s elementary school years this morning. He loved playing soccer and basketball. He loved the fast paced action of those sports. I have been known to say he walked (completely unassisted) at 10 months and … Continue reading
Posted in faith/courage/miracles/hope
Tagged Creativity, Friendship, inspiration, ocean, writing
13 Comments
Why did the butterfly say THAT?
I love to watch hummingbirds and butterflies. In Arizona, hummingbirds are ever-present. If you plant your garden right, you will get hummingbirds throughout the year; and butterflies abound (but not year round). Hans Christian Andersen wrote “Just living is … Continue reading
It just keeps getting better
It just keeps getting better. For the past few weeks I have tried to spread love and joy as far and wide as I can. The Candle Lighter Award is definitely spreading. People are liking the whole idea of it. … Continue reading
I write because I must: I hope I don’t intrude
A friend of mine blogged about why she blogs. I have written about it before, too and so has she. But today it gave me pause and caused me to reflect upon it again. Before I had a computer I … Continue reading
Tooting my horn!
They say that forming a new habit takes 6 weeks. They say that a journey begins with a single step. They say a lot of things ;-). I began my blog earlier this year as a form of expression, creativity, … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Literature
Tagged Friendship, God, postaday2011, postaweek2011, writing
2 Comments
Does technology help you write? Daily Post # 281
Does technology help you write? The Daily Post Topic #281: “One comical thing about writers and writing is they often ask each other if there is a secret tool, or software, they use that makes writing easier. Some writers swear … Continue reading
10 Reasons Every Writer Should Keep an Idea Box | Shari Lopatin: Rogue Writer
Now that I have been blogging for a number of months I have been thinking about my participation in the daily post. I began to wonder whether it was becoming a co-dependency for me. Then I realized that there are … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Literature
Tagged perennial optimist, postaday2011, postaweek2011, writing
2 Comments
Describe the perfect Sunday: Redux and update: topic #233
Describe the perfect Sunday. Awhile back I described my perfect Sunday. After I post this I will go back, find the link to that posting and put it in right here so you can compare. My perfect Sunday has been … Continue reading
Posted in Friendship
Tagged Faith, Friendship, God, ocean, postaday2011, postaweek2011, relaxation, writing
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Definition of wolfatano/wolfatana
Make up a word and its definition.The word of the day is wolfatano/wolfatana and the plural is wolfatanons/wolfatanans. The definition is a male or female person who behaves as though he/she was raised by wolves. Often displayed as tendency to … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Literature
Tagged postaday2011, postaweek2011, wolfatana, wolfatano, writing
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What story can you write in six words? Topic # 227
Topic #227: 8/22/11 Hemingway once wrote a super short story: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” What story can you write in six words? All right, Mr. Postaday2011–have you been consorting with my high school Political Thought teacher and my … Continue reading
Imagine it’s August 2021 – what is your life like? Topic # 218
Imagine it’s August 2021 – what is your life like?.I am still the wife of an amazing and loving man; I am still the mom of an amazing son. I have continued to teach, and I also conduct life coaching/life … Continue reading
How do you decide what risks to take? Topic # 141
How do you decide what risks to take?. When reaching a decision involving a risk I often begin by making a list (physically or mentally) of the pros and cons. This helps me identify the advantages of taking the risk … Continue reading
Postaday topic #99: Ever considered writing a book
Topic #99: Have you ever considered writing a book? If so what would it be about? Make a list of the ideas you want to cover, or the themes it might have. If you’ve never considered writing a book, what … Continue reading
Postaday Topic #93: What would your profession be if you didn’t need money?
Although this economy has ravaged our finances, I am thankful that I am able to find work as a tutor. Granted, if I was able to find work that my MBA trained me for, I would, in theory be making … Continue reading
If you could script tonights dream, what would would the plot be? – topic #86
If you could script tonights dream, what would would the plot be?. Bonus topic: There is a concept called lucid dreaming, where people are able to have some control over their dreams. Have you ever had a lucid dream? Would you … Continue reading
Blog more. It’s good for your health | On Techies
Blog more. It’s good for your health | On Techies. I agree with this. It is good for my health to blog more. It gives me a wonderful mental release. It helps me organize my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It … Continue reading
How do you find your muse?
How do you find your muse?.76 3/19/11 [choice A]. When you sit down to blog, or have a creative project of any kind you need to work on, how do you get yourself motivated to do it? What are your … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Literature
Tagged blogging, postaday2011, postaweek2011, writing
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Close your eyes. Count to ten. And then… – topic # 74
Close your eyes. Count to ten. And then….Close your eyes. Count to ten. Then imagine a beautiful ancient castle (tastefully remodeled to include central heating, kick-ass wi-fi and WordPress.com ready laptops everywhere). Now walk down the endless main hall, a … Continue reading
This is why I am blogging…
I am looking for people that love to ponder lifes challenges, sorrows, and joys. There are tons of political blogs and frankly I did not want a political blog. Even though I have been fascinated with the political process for … Continue reading
Posted in Misc blogger activities
Tagged Books, Faith, Friendship, God, Life, postaday2011, writing
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Post a Day Participants Have Much to be Proud of–Topic # 66
Post a Day Participants Have Much to be Proud of. I must confess, I am backfilling on my dates as I started late. I know it wasn’t required to ‘catch up’. I started doing the post a day posts in … Continue reading
When was your last random act of kindness? Topic #57
When was your last random act of kindness?.My last random act of kindness was to help a friend that was in need. He had been through some heart wrenchingly difficult times. Understand that we are hurting financially, too–but this friend was … Continue reading
Posted in Friendship
Tagged perennial optimist, postaday2011, random acts of kindness, writing
2 Comments
What keeps you up at night? Topic #56
What keeps you up at night?. A few things keep me up at night. The main thing is the sleeplessness that apparently is the hallmark of my menopausal life. Sigh. I would love to sleep every night, but sometimes I … Continue reading
Posted in Misc blogger activities
Tagged de-clutter, organization, postaday2011, writing
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Believe Anyway 