It's that wonderful time of the year when we pause a little longer to count our blessings. Many of my friends worldwide agree that the American "Thanksgiving" tradition is precious. My dear friends, I am thankful for you. I am grateful you are in my life. Thank you for your sweet friendship and support. I am profoundly thankful to live during this glorious time in the history of the world. As you know, there has never been a better time in history to be a woman. The rising and awakening...

Today, I am here at the World Congress on Families Conference, and I LOVE IT! These are "my people" and I'm thoroughly enjoying the presentations and re-connecting with friends from "yesteryear" when I worked on the World Congress on Families in Switzerland, years ago. I will share one thought, based on a substantial research study completed by four experts. The question they asked thousands of families was, "What is the single most important ingredient in a happy home?" The answer is KINDNES...

I have many heroes. Webster's Dictionary defines a hero to be "a person distinguished for valor, fortitude, or bold enterprise; displaying great courage or noble qualities." One of my heroes is Eleanor Roosevelt. What an amazing woman she was! I've memorized many of her quotes because they motivate me to "live my best life" and I want her words to be readily accessible when I need extra strength. This week I'd like to share two of my favorite Eleanor Roosevelt quotes. I hope you take th...

Do you remember holding your first baby for the first time? Were you struck, almost immediately, with an acute awareness of your infant’s helplessness? I remember feeling incredibly humbled, and a little overwhelmed, by my new responsibility for the life of another human being. Although normal, for some of us those feelings don’t diminish with time and experience. I have seven children, living now in six states. My oldest son is serving as a Special Forces Medic in Afghanistan. These grown ch...

Women are so much alike, aren’t we? We’re bonded because of what our bodies and hearts have been through. And as we age we’re asking the same questions and worrying about the exact same issues. Understandably, arriving at 40 is concerning because that’s when our world begins to look different. Many of us see that we aren’t the women we thought we’d be and we don’t have the life we expected to have. And many women are in a slump. Things they saw on the road ahead, everything they’ve purs...

To best address our growing social, political, and economic problems, I believe humanity needs to incorporate the Collaboration Model in the 21st Century, rather than continue with the age-old Dominance Model, if we are to move away from poverty and war and toward prosperity and peace. The Collaboration Model has as its highest priority the caring for people. Its focus is the creation of mutually beneficial relationships. Simply stated, the Dominance Model is about top-down control and the...

Sometimes it’s easier to encourage others than to encourage ourselves, isn’t it? We need to give ourselves pep-talks like, “Yeah, I did work hard, and I am doing great! My routine isn’t perfect yet, but it’s coming along and I’m proud of myself!” Good self-talk is one way of rewarding yourself. Another way is to buy a little something special when you reach a milestone toward a long-term goal. Or take a mini-vacation, or treat yourself to a long phone conversation with a special friend. Be creat...

Creating positive change in our lives begins with understanding the principle of choice ~ of agency. The principle of choice makes change possible. I remember the very moment it happened for me. I was sitting on the front row of a seminar when the speaker quoted Eleanor Roosevelt. That great lady said, “No one can make me feel inferior without my consent.” I remember thinking, Wow! That means that we allow people to offend us. We allow people to make us angry. Our reaction to people and our c...

I love women! I love that we’re bonded because of our bodies and what they go through; because of our understanding of life and love; because of our hearts. Yes, women are very much alike. Especially older women. I believe that women 40 and older are strongly bonded with one another because we share the same history and because we’re aging together. The absolute truth is that most of us don’t like aging because we lose things as we age! That’s right, you know we do! We lose our smoot...