Article by Judy Mosley

Note from Judy - This article was born out of necessity. Already, most of this morning has had no direction and time has been wasted on useless activities! This is the advice I have given to myself in the hopes of redirecting the day. It’s good to know that I can always learn from my mistakes and that can make any day better…

What are the things that make up a great day?  Is it good weather?  Is it the mood that we wake up to?  Does it depend on the behavior of others, or on the tasks that must be completed?  Are good days born only from external circumstances or do we have our own part to play?  Great questions.

Thankfully, our hearts and attitudes don’t always have to be swayed by the forces around us.  There are intentional steps that we can take, decisions that we can make, to better ensure that a good day is ahead of us. Read More »

Article by Kevin L. DeWitt

The other night I was sitting down with a long-time friend brother watching an NFL preseason football game, and we started talking about the “good ol’ days” and all of our plans for the future. After a while, we paused and then started laughing because it seemed as though I was trapped in the past and he was really concerned about the future.

It seems that, for most of the conversation, I had been talking about how things used to be.  On the other hand, he spent most of the time wondering about how hard things are going to be.  We both realized that holding on to the past and worrying about the future was keeping us from being happy today.

So with this in mind, I have decided it was time for me to start letting go of my past and not fear my future.  It’s a work in progress for sure … and it includes balancing letting go and honoring the past. Read More »

Article by Judy Mosley

Being Present.

It’s a phrase that has become quite popular in the last few years. But how does someone really become present? What does it take to be in the moment? What is it that can keep us from being in this state? Learning to be present can be difficult but it is certainly attainable.

Here are some ways I have found that can help us to be present in our own lives:

Practice Being Quiet

Take five minutes out of your day and turn off whatever might be a distraction: a cell phone, home phone, music, or anything else that could easily distract you.  Step outside or find a quiet space in your house.  Sit and listen.  Let your thoughts drift without paying attention to them.  How does this make you feel?  Try to disconnect from the outside noises and connect with what’s going on inside of yourself. Read More »

Article by Stephanie Johnson

Modern life is hectic, and with the economy the way it is, a lot of people have to make sacrifices just to get by.

Usually the first thing that suffers is quality time together with loved ones, which is a terrible thing. Our loved ones are our haven, our safe place to come to when the outside world gets to be too much.

My fiancé and I now have schedules that are direct opposites of each other.  He works at night and I work during the day.  When I’m awake he’s asleep and vice versa.  We’re also both going to school, both at the same time, so that makes our window of opportunity to spend quality of time together even smaller.

Recently, we’ve also put on a little weight … so we’ve made a commitment to walking a mile in the park every morning.  The only time we can do this is at 6:00 in the morning - after he gets home from his shift, and I’ve just woken up.

There’s almost never anyone else out in our park at that time.  So we walk together and watch the sunrise, and it’s almost like we’re in our own little world.

We both have to make sacrifices in order to do this, but we love the time together, and, the fact that we’re getting healthy together.  There’s a little gazebo at the end of the trail we sit in together after the walk, watching the wildlife and listening to the soft morning wind rustle the trees.  It’s a beautiful moment we share together, and it’s worth losing a little sleep. Read More »

Article by Judy Mosley

Winter has never been far from my mind. And it feels like this particular year had disappeared faster than any other in my memory …

Already, August has slipped away and summer is nearly over.  As fair and gorgeous as Fall is, it’s never long enough.  So I’ve decided ahead of time that I would start preparing for winter now.

I don’t mean preparing by stocking up on supplies like ice salt and snow boots.  I’m talking about preparing myself on the inside.

It started with the idea of making my own Bucket List.  I am, of course, using the term that was used in the movie.  But I thought that instead of making a list of things to do before I die, I could make one for the winter.  It would be my list that I can refer to when I start to feel lost or emotionally down.  But the more I thought about that idea, I realized that there is much more that could be done than just making a list … Read More »