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Hi everyone,

On my walk this morning it was so foggy I could hardly see 5 feet in front of me. I have walked on the same country road for 35+ years yet today it felt mysterious and foreign. I was uncertain about who or what I might run into and I became tentative and cautious.

Foggy uncertainty is what most of the world has been experiencing in the past 11 months isn't it?  Our usual path has been obscured from view and our familiar landmarks and reference points have been upended.

Over this past year, I too have had many moments of bewilderment and had to stop and pause to recalibrate my direction.

When a gymnast on the balance beam begins to fall, she doesn't just keep going, she stops, regains her balance, focuses on her next move and only then continues on.

This week I facilitated a Zoom call with 60+ hospice Chief Clinical and Operations Officers from across the US. The levels of exhaustion and frustration are still very high, vaccine rollouts are...

Let It Go

This Christmas I received a treasured gift, a Hallmark Keepsake ornament of Queen Elsa from the Disney movie FROZEN. She is standing with her arms wide open and a confident smile on her face, and at the press of a button, she sings LET IT GO

Let it go! Let it go!
And I’ll rise like the break of dawn!
Let it go! Let it go!
That perfect girl is gone!

Here I stand in the light of day…
Let the storm rage on!!!
The cold never bothered me anyway

My gift-giving friend and colleague Jaysen must have searched high and low for this 2015 ornament. His effort touched my heart. In 2019 Jaysen attended my first ever 2-day LIVE event at Disney World called “RETURN TO PURPOSE.” Each morning I would come into the room with that song LET IT GO blaring over the speakers. It was my reminder that on those 2 days, I would not hold back who I was and wanted the attendees to do the same.  It was magical.

Today, Elsa sits next to my computer, confident...

Words Matter

I listened with rapt attention to young Amanda Gorman recite her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration of Joe Biden. I was astonished how her words, placed together in unexpected arrangements, so deeply moved me, like the notes of a melody that touches my heart. Her last stanza says:

“…When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it”

For there is always Light. There is also always Love, but only, if ONLY we are brave enough to see it and to BE the Light and the Love.

There are many who are giddy with excitement about the new president and our first woman vice president. I often wondered if I would live long enough to witness a woman in such a high position. There are also many who are horrified and disgusted with the same result. Then there are those who took their outrage to...

Hi everyone,

Well, 2021 hasn't' started out quite as we hoped has it? Just last week I wrote to you these words:

"My commitment to 2021 is to focus on gratitude and compassion, of lifting people up to see their own beauty within and the beauty in others. The time is now for each of us to do our part to inspire another. Whether that is with the simplicity of a smile or a listening ear or a grand gesture of thanks, each action toward that end makes a difference. May 2021 be the year we all find relief and recover, together."

I stand by that commitment and as a way of offering some inspiration, I want to share with you a portion of the poem "The Rock Cries Out To You This Morning" by Maya Angelo. It comforted me this morning and I hope it will do the same for you.

"...Here, root yourselves beside me.

I am the tree planted by the river, Which will not be moved.

I, the rock, I the river, I the tree I am yours--your passages have been paid.

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need...

Many of my Hospice clients are experiencing staff shortages due to Covid19. Older nurses are retiring and some staff are leaving healthcare completely.  Hiring new managers and staff without hospice experience or moving existing staff into new leadership positions is normal at the time of crisis.

Finding new ways to regularly support new managers/leaders into being great hospice leaders takes time and focused intention. Now more than every newer manager and seasoned ones too can benefit from my yearlong Hospice Master Class Membership training. A new class starts in January 2021 with live virtual training each month along with worksheets and special bonuses. 

Here is some feedback from this year’s class:

• “I believe your insight in not only the hospice arena but leadership has been a great benefit to my personal development.  Your active engagement of the participants has been priceless especially for what we have gone through the past year.  The...

Be the Light

12/12/20

December is a month of beauty and celebration and reflection and exhaustion. People in the working world are rushing to finish year-end projects, budgets, and goals. Analyzing what went right and what went wrong during the past 12 months while focusing on what to expect in the coming year. Between the major holidays and cultural expectations, we pack an unrealistic amount of “To Do’s” into this 1 month. December has a lot of pressure on its shoulders!

This year December has a frightening new challenge. In addition to all the usual December pressures and delights, now we must consider what to do about gifting and gathering during the most alarming time in modern US history: Covid19.

This year why don’t we take advantage of the stay at home recommendations, put on the holiday music, don our best sweat pants and holiday sweaters, light a candle or 8, make cookies and eat them ourselves, write love notes to everyone we know and give...

Thanks. Giving.

It’s November and Thanksgiving is but a blink away. This is my favorite holiday because it’s focused on generosity, gathering with people we love, and eating food from recipes handed down by generations.  "We Gather Together" the Christian hymn of Dutch origin is my go-to Thanksgiving song.

My early memories of Thanksgiving are of the smells coming from my grandmother’s kitchen. Turkey roasting in the oven next to the homemade Icebox rolls, mashed potatoes, and gravy, and the oyster dressing she made just for my dad. And it wouldn’t have been Thanksgiving without my grandpa’s “Best Yet” cranberry salad. My great grandmother Mayme (grandpa’s mother) would always exclaim, “Elmer, that cranberry salad is the best yet!” And hence the name stuck! I have grandpa’s original recipe card in his own handwriting, and now Tori, his great-granddaughter has a copy.

 My mom and Tori with the...

THE BEST AND WORST OF TIMES

Here we are, the first week of November 2020, and we have broken two all-time highs: 

• more American's voted in this Presidential election than ever before in the history of our nation and 
• COVID19 cases frighteningly hit all-time highs this week, higher than any time since the pandemic began only nine months ago

To say these are challenging times is a gross understatement. I am reminded of the historical novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859), by Charles Dickens.

"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…". 

And now, 160 years later, we still facing similar dilemmas. Half of us say it is a season of Light, and half of us say it is a season of Darkness....

Fear and Faith.

This week I have had enough. Enough of Covid19, enough of soul-numbing politics, enough of horrific wildfires, and hurricanes, and enough of isolation from friends and family. Enough already 2020, I’ve had enough of you!  The feeling of frustration had seeped into me like the smoke of the wildfires seeps into everything.  

Finally, I stopped and faced my fears and took control of my emotions. Instead of watching the news I went back to my morning routine of meditation, walking, inspirational readings, and having faith that the world will continue to spin, and the sun will continue to rise.

I have learned the more I face my fears and keep moving forward, taking action in harmony with my values and integrity, I emerge stronger.

Fear is normal.  Fear is helpful.  Fear is an emotion that says “Hey! Take notice of this, something’s up!”.  Don’t ignore fear…Ask “what are...