Tag: Love

Deepening Love

By B. Lynn Goodwin. Why can't I get organized, I ask myself. Why do I keep spinning my wheels as I journal? I remembered the words of Temescal Writers leader Joan Marie Wood, who said, "If you keep writing about the same thing over and over, it means you have more to say." Could I be having issues again about whether or not my stories are mine to share? As a general rule, if it’s my story I have a right to share it, knowing it’s my emotional memory and no one else’s. Besides, that’s a concern to address down…

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An Open Letter to Mikko McPuppers

By B. Lynn Goodwin. On our first walk you rounded the corner with pride, and looked up to say, "See how well I do this? I don't tug on the leash. I don't even stop and sniff. Please take me home." At that moment I decided we needed each other. I took this photo of you on the grass by the pool before the lifeguards came out and before I realized dogs weren’t allowed at the pool. I had no idea it would become your author photo five years later when you became a columnist for Silver Rescue. When I…

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Finding Love Over 60

By B. Lynn Goodwin. Recently I texted my husband, "From WIFE 22: List 5 positive things about spouse..." I should explain that WIFE 22 is a book about a couple, who grew distant after 20 years. The book shows a middle-aged wife discovering who she is and what she wants out of  life as a participant in an anonymous survey about relationships. The book and its survey fascinated me, even though my husband and I only been married 5 months, so I texted him one of the questions that I could easily lift out of context. My silver-tongued husband wrote…

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A Classic Couple

I was not born on the Fourth of July, but my marriage was. A year ago, after the Fourth of July fireworks were over and the neighborhood had quieted down, something drew me to the personals on Craigslist. Every time I go in, I remind myself of the good things I’ve found there. I found a webmaster, who’s worked with me for 10 years, the world’s best shih tzu, and a good friend named Warren, who took me to lunch for two years while cancers, neuroma, and other medical issues ate away at him. We remained platonic, and when he…

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How I Found My Person

By Mikko McPuppers (Guest columnist and best bud for B. Lynn Goodwin). One day six years ago, I saw a woman sitting alone on the steps of the porch. She watched the other dogs lunge and play. We were all there to be adopted, and the others ignored her, but I saw potential. When she wasn’t looking, I moved to the doormat behind her. It was a great place to watch… until she turned around. Of course I looked away. That’s what you do when you’re a senior shih tzu and a person makes eye contact. Before I turned, though,…

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The Wake Up From The Break Up

By Sheevaun Moran. I have had many break ups in my life. My most memorable break up was when I was sixteen and I was dating a 21 year old. We were very aligned and we both knew it. He broke up with me because he somehow had a vision that I had to leave the small town I grew up in and make a difference. I was devastated and lost and yet I picked myself up and went off to Florida before college to begin my journey. My life has been an amazing journey and one that would have…

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Scars, Love, and a Bit of Pride

By B. Lynn Goodwin. I have three scars on the inside edge of my left forearm. Two look like fading purple blotches, like sun-faded paint or the ancient scrawls of a fierce toddler armed with crayons. The fierce toddler who put the pair of scars on my forearm was my sweet little Mikko McPuppers. He’s an eighteen-pound senior shih tzu. Usually he’s mellow. On the night he bit me though, he was disoriented. He didn’t know where we were going or how to get back, and I think an old fear of losing his home and family may have resurfaced.…

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The Many Meanings of Love

Love has inspired countless generations of poets, composers, and artists throughout history. It's universal to the human experience, and yet can be hard to define. For love has many different expressions, meanings, and contexts. There is the emotion of love. We may express feelings of love for our self, others, or Spirit. There is also the love of art, or of knowledge. Then there is "God's love"- the divine, loving, creative subjectivity - which can also be called value fulfillment, because it promotes the maximum development for each individual in relation to All That Is. It provides the impetus toward…

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Loving Everyone

When Brittany was only 5 years old she ran in front of a bus to save the life of her friend. Badly injured herself, these are Brittany's recollections as to 'why' she did such a heroic act. After the bus accident, I was in the emergency room, and my dad asked "What would make a girl be so brave?" Then suddenly my eyes opened, I took ahold of my daddy's hand and said to him, "You always said we were supposed to love everyone, and that's what I was doing, daddy - I was just loving her!" All the nurses…

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Love Never Dies: The Passing of My Mother

My world changed one week ago, when my mother had a stroke. One minute she was pulling weeds in her garden and the next minute she was in a coma in the hospital, from a blood vessel that had burst in her brain. When I got the news, I flew from our home in Montana to my hometown in Pennsylvania. Even though I left as soon as possible, my mother never regained consciousness, and passed away the day after I arrived. I was blessed to spend her last night by her bedside in the hospital and talked with her most…

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Love Never Dies: An Interview with Maureen Hancock

I had a great conversation last week with my mother-in-law, which in and of itself, isn't remarkable. What's remarkable however, is the fact that she passed away more than two years ago. Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing today's Inspirational Luminary, Maureen Hancock. After an hour of questions, I thanked Maureen and our interview ended. That's when she asked me if I'd like to "speak" to anyone. To explain this in the proper context, Maureen is a spirit medium who has been communicating with dead people since she was a small child. After reading her book, The Medium…

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Life as an Aspen Tree

If you follow my blog you'll know that many times I talk about looking to Nature for answers to life's mysteries. For me, no matter the question, if I spend time in the woods I'll find the answer. Nature has a wisdom to it that can teach us so much- if we pay attention. The aspen tree is the perfect example. The leaves of the quaking aspen have an unusual ability to twist and bend to protect the trees from severe winds. Their twisting motion helps the tree to dissipate the energy more uniformly throughout the canopy- to reduce the…

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Valentines from the Universe

Yesterday afternoon I took a break and went for a walk with my dog Koda along the shore of Flathead Lake, where we live in Northwest Montana. Flathead Lake is the largest lake west of the Mississippi- about 12 miles wide by more than 30 miles long. The shoreline of this alpine, mountain lake is very beautiful, covered with rocks of all shapes and sizes. I needed a break from what could have been a stressful situation, so I went for a walk to play on the beach with Koda and reconnect with nature. Walking along the beach I started…

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My Top Ten Ways to Find Your Magnificence During Tough Times

Times are tough. We hear it all around us everyday... another business going under, another bankruptcy being filed, another job being lost, another home going into foreclosure, or another pension disappearing into dust. Worry takes a toll as stress builds, creativity suffers, health is compromised and relationships are threatened. To keep with my transparent blogging style, I want to share this with you that this is one of the most difficult financial times of my life. I have always been an independent businesswoman and my background is in real estate, so all of my assets were in what I thought…

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“O”, I “LOVE” the Magic of Cirque du Soleil!

I am so grateful for my InspireMeToday.com family! Because of this blog, I had the great honor and the incredible privilege of being spoiled in a really big way. My friend Jessica with Cirque du Soleil gifted us with tickets for "O" and backstage passes and great seats for "LOVE" too! I want to share this amazing experience with you and sincerely hope that you too will find a way to experience the magic of Cirque du Soliel for yourself. You may remember I had the honor of interviewing the founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Lalaiberte for InspireMeToday.com. What…

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Do Less, Do More-Recommendations From Twitter

I love how my blogs take on a life of their own. On Friday, I tweeted a saying that I saw on a wooden box at a museum in New York City last week. It read...  "Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breath more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours." I got a tweet right back that said, "Bark less, wag more". Within a few seconds the idea for a blog was born. I then sent this request to Twitter: Pls recommend 1 thing to do less and…

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Love is the Answer (Always!) : The Secret to Surviving Divorce

Divorce is one of the most difficult transition periods in life. Not only is it losing the dream of something that once was, it's also dealing with anger, rejection, failure and an incredible fear of the unknown. That uncertainty can cause our inner defense mechanism to kick into high gear and have us think thoughts of revenge and destruction that we wouldn't normally think. Yesterday I talked with my friend Rob (not his real name), whose parents are going through a very nasty divorce. I felt somewhat qualified to listen and help him, for ten years ago I too went…

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The Only Road to Travel is Love

There are two things we typically don't talk about- politics and religion. Yesterday I received an email from a friend out of the blue, telling me in a harsh way that unless I adopt the same religious beliefs he has, I'll never be happy. Funny thing is, I haven't talked with this friend in months, and even more interesting- I am happy! Because his chosen religion has brought joy to his life, his way of loving others is now sharing these beliefs with them. His religion teaches him that it's his job to reach out and convert others to his…

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Blessings to YOU!

Recently, my friend Marci Shimoff shared a story with me that really touched my heart. Her friend CJ was very ill with lupus, but rather than complain about the situation, she was inspired to become a messenger of blessing. Everywhere she went she silently shared this blessing on behalf of others in her life. "May you be safe, may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you live with ease." From strangers on the street, to friends and family, CJ spent a year blessing other people. When waiting in line at the grocery store, she would say her mantra…

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2009- A Time For Giving

Happy New Year! As we enter into a brand new year, I'd like to share a short story with you in the hopes that it will remind you of what you already know. A few months ago I volunteered to help the homeless. As we were preparing goodie bags to distribute, a young homeless man walked in. He was ragged, thin, unshaven and looked like he'd had more than a few rough nights. We assumed he was here to ask for something from us. He approached our group, smiled, told us his name was Josh and asked how he could…

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Love Is the Answer

This morning I received two emails within 5 minutes of each other, from friends asking for advice on how to deal with a difficult situation. The first one wrote that her best friend's husband was dying from cancer. The second one shared that her friend's husband had been shot and killed yesterday. Both women were asking the question "How can I be there for my friend"? Who am I to give an answer to something like this? Yet they asked, and I felt a need to reach out with whatever I could. They gave me the opportunity to do what…

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