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Hope in the Face of Despair: Overcoming Feelings of Overwhelm

Is it spring where you are? Tell me what it’s like, please! I want to know that somewhere the sun is gently warming the frozen soul (and soil); that green, hopeful shoots are peeping up; and that warm rains are drizzling life back into roots that rested for a season. Here in Minnesota, vibrant life remains buried beneath feet of ice and snow. It was 7 degrees Fahrenheit on the first day of Spring. We are ready to move on—with the seasons, with living—but venturing forth too early into an icy world carries risk. Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised to still find chill at five months into a typical Midwest winter, three years into [...]

2023-03-24T20:11:07-04:00March 24th, 2023|Categories: Health, Hope, Perspective, Resilience, Stress, Survival|Tags: , , , , |
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Gateway to a New Year: Open the Door to Joy

Reflecting on this past month and seeking joy in the moments has helped me move from just getting through the days to knowing what’s important and meaningful. January is a long, wintry month in Minnesota, but I know what to expect. December is one of the most contradictory months. It’s ethereally gray in the Midwest and enviably sunny and bright wherever you are. It’s filled with excitement for holiday festivities or dread over expectations. Traditions remind us of who we’ve lost, but also of who and what we’ve gained. Past years haunt us or revive fond memories, and the future feels hopeful and/or uncertain. Turning the calendar (literally or figuratively) offers an opportunity to reflect [...]

2022-12-27T23:26:12-05:00December 27th, 2022|Categories: Chronic illness, Finding Joy, Health, Hope, Living through Darkness|Tags: , , |
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What Are You Waiting For?

What are you waiting for? What are you doing to feed your soul, fuel your passions, and bring color and hope to your world? I’m waiting for the sun to shine. This month in Minnesota was on average 8 degrees colder than last April. Well, okay, the snow did melt off the sidewalks, so it’s safe to walk outside now. But it’s been raining or snow flurrying or cloudy and overcast and windy and cold for 5 months now. Enough already! Where is spring? I’m waiting for color to paint my world, our world. Do you have flowers blooming and trees budding and sun shining in your backyard? If so, I’m happy for you. Truly I [...]

2022-04-29T22:40:28-04:00April 29th, 2022|Categories: Hope, Motivation, Pleasure|Tags: , , , , , |
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From Fear to Hope: How Cancer Research Makes a Difference

Valentine’s Day reminds us to show our love to one another. International Childhood Cancer Day, the day after, reminds us of how much love our children bring into our lives, and how much fear and anxiety we feel when they get sick. Losing a child is a parent’s worst fear. Watching your child endure months or years of scary and invasive treatment and debilitating side-effects obliterates the childhood we expect and want them to have. We all want the best for our children. Criss Angel, Las Vegas illusionist and magician, faces fear every day when he performs with fire and gravity-defying stunts but says that nothing compares to the fear of losing his son to cancer. [...]

2022-02-14T22:17:55-05:00February 13th, 2022|Categories: Cancer, Childhood Cancer, Families, Hope, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , |
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Change Is In the Air

It’s summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, almost half of Americans are fully vaccinated, and we’re ready to play. Is there fun in your future? Photo by Jess Zoerb on Unsplash Happy Summer Solstice and Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads! It’s Midsummer, and for the first time in many years in the upper Midwest, it feels as if summer really is in full swing. The temp has been in the upper 90s, the grass and fields are parched, and people are cramming the airports and snatching up last-minute cabin and rental car reservations. Or so I’ve heard from family and friends. What plans do you have for this northern hemisphere glorious summer? [...]

2021-06-19T23:14:09-04:00June 19th, 2021|Categories: COVID-19, Hope, Play, SARS-CoV-2, Summer|Tags: , , , , |
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A Season of Hope

Unsplash by Jaanus Jagomagi The United Kingdom began vaccinating for coronavirus this week as the United States and Canada approved emergency-use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and prepared to protect healthcare workers and vulnerable adults in long-term care settings. It took monumental effort to develop and produce a vaccine and conduct Phase I, II, and III clinical trials in less than a year. There is hope for a safer tomorrow. And here in the Northern Hemisphere, we look to the skies for the aurora borealis and anticipate the winter solstice with its subtle yet convincing reversal to longer and lighter days. Even the planets get in the game, with Jupiter and Saturn aligning close [...]

2020-12-13T11:51:50-05:00December 13th, 2020|Categories: COVID-19, Hope, Resilience|Tags: , , , , |
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