Is Grand Rapids, Michigan A friendly city….

If you live in Grand Rapids, Michigan you know that in many ways it’s a great community to live in. The city can boast of a number of city parks and recreational centers in addition to being cited as one of the most affordable places to live in the United States. But is it a friendly place to live?

Read Full Post »

Musings on Mastery…

One of the most profound aspects of work for me has been the ongoing cultivation of my craft to share insights with others through various dimensions of teaching which include my blogging. When this activity comes from the ‘zone,” it is truly a gift. It is effort without extra weight…

Read Full Post »

A Monday in the Life of a Grand Rapids Real Estate Lady…

Mondays are always busy.  Even if I don’t have scheduled appointment, Mondays always fill up with activity.  It’s as though the weekend holds it’s breath and then lets it out with a rush on Mondays…as if to say, golly you’re back…now, get to work!
Today was no exception.  Our office meeting is always a great time [...]

Read Full Post »

What It Means to Truly Listen…

There’s a reason why we have two ears and just one mouth.
A single mouth can easily over-power two perfectly good ears.
It’s always easier to talk than to listen.
To listen we must be quiet…with our mouth
And dull the roar from within the heart.
Listening is hard work…
Voices in the mind shout and clamor for attention.
Listening means that I accept [...]

Read Full Post »

What It Means To Live Within Peace…

You don’t know you’ve lost Peace until you can’t find it.  Sometimes you don’t know you’ve lost Peace because you’ve never had it. Peace is not an absence of challenge or trial.  It is not a promise or guarantee of the avoidance of hardship.  Rather it is the stillness which draws from a deep well spring [...]

Read Full Post »

MeMe, Moi, Monday Musings…

What’s a Meme?  Well, it could be described as a game of virtual tag.  This particular Meme assignment was forwarded to my by Linda Scalan who was tagged by Ginger Wilcox on Active Rain. 
I’ve already done a Meme for Active Rain and wasn’t planning to write another one.  However,  I’ve decided to write this Meme because of the recent launch of my [...]

Read Full Post »

Local Flavor…Why Home Cooked is not just About Cookin’

Recently, my husband & I were talking about what makes home cooked food so special.  So much so, that many family style restaurants actually advertise that their food is “like home cooked.”  Now, I’m talking about good home cooking…as I know some disasters in the kitchen can make even fast food seem like a great [...]

Read Full Post »

A Peculiar American Love Affair…

We talk about them, ogle them, reminisce about memories we have of them and worry about their welfare. In many ways, the American love affair with our homes is typical of the patterns in a troubled romantic obsession.  Our rapt attention as we watch the object of our affection on numerous TV shows is indicative of how deeply we are in love [...]

Read Full Post »

A Parable…The Tale of the Hunter, The Monkey & The Peanuts….

 There’s an oft repeated tale about how certain hunters in Africa catch monkeys.  It can be very difficult to corral these intelligent creatures, so hunters have used a more inventive method…trapping a monkey by enticing him.  A small jar is placed at the base of a tree with nuts or other items which may attract the monkey’s [...]

Read Full Post »

The Art Of Grace-Filled Giving

*Originally posted in December of last year (2006) this was one of my first attempts at blogging.  I came across it recently.  Although, there are some spelling mistakes, I think the message still resonates this year.  Hope you enjoy! 
The frenzy of activity that marks the month of December is unmatched.  End of year parties and [...]

Read Full Post »