By Samantha McKenzie I am an avid reader. I grew up watching my father read books, magazines and the newspaper everyday of his life. He would read for hours and hours and it showed. He was a walking book of knowledge and could speak intelligently on almost every subject. As a child I thought he…

By Dawn Onley Pssst. Pssst. You. Yes, you. Do you realize how amazing you are? Do you have any idea what you are capable of? I sure hope you do. I hope you grasp it, hold onto it, and live in it — all of it. Your worth. It saddens me that there are so many people…

By Samantha McKenzie “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Dr. Maya Angelou I walked into a cafe for lunch this week and saw this excerpt, written by the late Dr. Maya Angelou, nicely framed and mounted on…

By Dawn Onley This year, add something behind your name that isn’t there now. Hiker. Reader. Dancer. Runner. Mom. Author. Cook. Swimmer. Investor. World traveler. Designer. Trainer. Potter. Scuba diver. Coach. Painter. Marksman. Wine connoisseur. Entrepreneur. Mrs. This year, let’s engage our full selves in something we’ve wanted to do for awhile but never quite…

By Samantha McKenzie I find it interesting how women form relationships around things they have in common. How we build friendships and bonds over obvious similarities, like race or religion, or kinship. How we corral around adventures and hobbies, like hiking or running, quilting or painting. And interestingly enough, how we form some of our deepest bonds around…

By Dawn Onley I’ve been going through old photo albums, as one often does after a loved one dies, and reminiscing on so many wonderful memories. Photographs give us an instant visual reminder. They help us to remember, to fill in the gaps when our memories start to fail us. They help us to document…

By Samantha McKenzie “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”         (Bible, Mark 2:22) Have you ever shared a new idea with someone who responded in…

By Dawn Onley Watching someone you love slip away is one of the most painful things we will ever experience in this life. It’s the downside to love – knowing that someday we will lose our loved ones in the physical realm. One day they will break our hearts, or we will break theirs. That’s…

By Samantha McKenzie Many of us understand the basic tenets of being grateful. I am always thankful when people lend me a helpful hand, or offer up some exceptional advice. I am very grateful that God answers my prayers. I appreciate every act of kindness I receive from others. I must confess, however, that my gratitude…

By Dawn Onley Anything worth pursuing, anything worth accomplishing, any dream worth realizing takes hard work and time. Nothing happens overnight. Two weeks ago, I downloaded the My Fitness Pal app on my smartphone and it syncs with my Fitbit, giving me extra calories to burn each day based on my level of exercise. To top…