“summer, after all, is a time when wonderful things can happen to quiet people. for those few months, you’re not required to be who everyone thinks you are, and that cut-grass smell in the air and the chance to dive into the deep end of a pool give you a courage you don’t have the…

Laugh when you can. Apologize when you should. And let go of what you can’t change. Love deeply and forgive quickly. Take chances and give your everything. Life is too short to be anything but happy. You have to take the good with the bad. Love what you got. Always remember what you had. Forgive,…

I can’t stand watching most commercials.  They seem to always be trying to sell me something I don’t need and don’t want.  So I use my DVR to skip right over them. But every once in a while, there is a commercial that goes right for the heart and that promotes what’s best in us…

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect. -Eleanor Roosevelt I hope you are having a wonderful 4th of July weekend. One of my favorite…

I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow. -David Hobson ‘Tis the season for gardening, and my husband and I love to get our hands…

In honor of the Summer Solstice, keep close to nature’s heart: Summer is the ideal time to enjoy our amazing natural world, but I find immersion in that beauty to be more than enjoyable. When I feel the pangs of stress, grief, frustration, or anger, I’ve learned, as John Muir counsels here, that walking among green…

Here’s an inspirational story that combines my love for books with my love for New Orleans, which was once my home. Laurence Copel knows in her heart that no matter where they live and no matter who they are, children need books to feed their minds and spirits. So she rides her oversize tricycle with…

This is a favorite quote of mine — and it’s not from Oprah or Dr. Phil but from the philosopher Plato. Who knew, right? When I hear this it reminds me to see the humanity of those around me. All of us are struggling with pain, with loss, with disappointment and guilt, and just to…

I discovered StoryCorps.com recently and found many inspirational stories about how people cope with serious illness. StoryCorps collects and records oral interviews, and some, like this one, are put to animation but with the real voices, which I find to be a fascinating technique. This is a very touching conversation between a mom and her…

In honor of Memorial Day, I want to share these 7 Heartwarming Veterans Stories. They are all incredibly inspiring and hopeful, but my favorite is the one above. Marine Corporal Juan Dominguez lost three limbs in Afghanistan, but he didn’t let that keep him from marrying the woman of his dreams. I love his words…