Tag: Family

Honoring Ourselves with Love and Respect

If I could share all the profound words that have been shared throughout the years, the most honest and powerful words would be 'Honor thyself first, before you attempt to honor others.' When we take time to actually get to know ourselves and spend quality time nurturing our feelings, thoughts, and emotions, we, in turn, will be more of a blessing towards others. It's a wonderful experience when we embrace and respect ourselves to the point where only love lives and all those other useless and judgmental attitudes have vacated. When we teach our spirit to dance and rejoice with…

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Remember to Experience the Magic of Childhood!

In today's busy tech oriented world, I have been fortunate to discover an incredibly simple source of inspiration... children. As a career-oriented woman, I took a pass on having my own family. Yet in the past few years and for a variety of reasons, I have had an awakening that we should all be more childlike. Children always have time to examine a new flower or exclaim over a rainbow... they also are quick with a hug... which is quite priceless when you think about it. Little kids are non-judgmental and enjoy a good belly laugh more often than not.…

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Embracing Our Global Family

Anyone who has faced the prospects of leaving one's words for posterity for real instead of a theoretical exercise and survives is blessed beyond words. Sharing the following words becomes a privilege and yes, even a responsibility. There is nothing more certain in my mind than we are all members of the family of Man. Over the years it has become commonplace for leaders all over the globe to obscure the light represented by acknowledging that our family, while at times dysfunctional should be guided by love and never hate. The legacy I would like to survive me is that…

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5 Principles of Balanced Success

After having several successful careers, a marriage of fifty-one years, four children, and eight grandchildren, people ask how I’ve done it all. With hindsight, I see that I’ve always had these five guiding principles in the back of my mind. 1. When opportunity knocks, answer. Take every opportunity that comes your way, even if you don't have a clue how to do the task. You'll either figure out how to do it, or you'll fail and pick yourself up and move on. Either way you will have learned something. Remember, you don't learn to play tennis without hitting the ball…

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What I Learned from My Father

Happy Father's Day! On this special day, I want to honor my dad, Gordy Goodwin, who passed away on May 20th, 2012. Through the years, here's what he taught my siblings and me. In honor of Gordon Goodwin - 1932-2012 - with gratitude for a life well lived. Make God a priority in your life. Have faith that God is always with you and know that you are never alone. Live your faith and let your life serve as a testament to your beliefs in such a way that others will want to be like you. Walking the walk is much…

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Beyond Money and Power

Lately I have been experiencing a ground swell of desire for a new way to be and live. I expect to see this from my clients, however I am seeing it in places and people I would not expect. Arianna Huffington shares her thoughts about redefining success in her new book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom and Wonder. Instead of focusing solely on money and power, she calls us to look to a third metric centered on the quality of our lives. A relaxing weekend at a friend’s summer house becomes a discussion…

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Ask a Luminary

How Can I Put the Past Behind Me?

"Dear Sara, I grew up in Canada in a dysfunctional family with alcoholism, emotional abuse and neglect, then moved with my family to New Zealand when I was a teenager. My mother was unable to show any love or affection and I have tried for many years to seek approval and my mother's love. My childhood and adolescence had a significant impact on my mental health and happiness. I thought I was a bad person until I completed a social work degree and realised that my mother was not capable of loving and learned about childhood conditioning. My sister was…

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School of HP: Fathers Are Special!

Fathers are a special breed They are there to guide and lead To inspire and protect Point out cause and the effect Separate the wrong from right Show when it’s OK to fight Be the man who’s standing strong And kiss the boo-boo so it’s gone Fathers play so many roles They help us achieve our goals While sometimes forgoing theirs Because all they do is care So today, we as a nation Offer thanks in dedication As collectively we strive And give our dads the Highest Five!

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Father is the First Teacher

My bathing cap is too tight; it doesn’t hold the cascade of hair that someone’s piled on my head in order to squash it on, pull it tight until it covers my ears. When I take it off later, my hair will be sodden, snarled, and the long strands will catch in the cap, causing me to yelp in pain. I wear it, because I want to pretend I am immune from the water: that even when I am submerged, my body will be safe from all that scary wetness. If we wore goggles back then, I’d have put them…

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Overpower the past… Empower the Present!

I was the baby in the family, born 11 and 8 years, respectively, after my siblings. Not until just a few years ago did I hear that my mother "farmed out" my sister and brother to strangers. The term usually referred to children who were sent to a relative back in the day, but in my siblings' case it was an indenture. My brother and sister had to work for their keep,  ages six and 11. They told me these stories as part of my research while writing Wild Violets, a romanticized version of my Mother as a flapper and entrepreneur in the 1920's in…

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Growth through Writing… Empower Yourself!

Since man formed his first vocabulary, family and tribal news was carried from tribe to tribe, village to village by a storyteller. They would be welcomed in each cave, hut, or council house as an honored guest and nights would be spent around the fire listening to the latest news from family members living afar. Famine, a good harvest, movement of wild herds, warring tribes, births, deaths, alliances, all were carried by the professional storyteller. After a few days passed the news had been told and the storyteller, rested and refreshed, would move to the next tribe or settlement. While…

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Empowered YOUth: 5 Ways to Restore Peace and Repair Connection in Your Family

By Michael Eisen. In a day and age where parents and kids text more than they talk, where a family that doesn't feud is an anomaly, and where the one thing that most parents and kids have in common is the stress and anxiety they face—something's gotta give! If we are going to empower the next generation and generations to come to live up to their true potential and to live a life full of passion and optimism, it is incredibly important that we create a more supportive and understanding family unit. Below are five principles and strategies that will…

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The Meaning of Family

My parents were the glue that kept our extended family together. With children and grandchildren scattered across the country in 8 different states, it's always been a special occasion when we’re all together. This past weekend I spent time in Pennsylvania to attend a memorial service for my father who passed away a few weeks ago. Joined by my four siblings, our children and grandchildren, we sat together under a canopy at the gravesite where my father’s ashes were to be interred, alongside our mother who passed away less than a year ago. As part of a beautiful service, we…

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