Several days after the Florida shooting, I was standing in line for my morning coffee, and while I was waiting, I picked up a nearby newspaper and began reading the latest findings on yet another mass shooting. 

As I scanned the details, my eyes fell to the common thread I see in every mass shooting that has ever taken place in my lifetime: “There it is," I said to myself, "there it is!”

As the details of the Florida shooting on February 14th continue to unfold, we learned that the shooter is an orphan whose mother passed away almost a year ago. We also found out that he was considered weird, different and possibly autistic by his schoolmates and neighbors.

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is here! I don’t know of any other holiday that stirs up such varied and passionate feelings.

Ok, I get it. I confess, even for me, someone who passionately teaches and talks about love, there were a couple of years after my divorce where I rolled my eyes and became sarcastic and cynical. And then I realized…

You don’t need to be in a relationship to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

I can already see you rolling your eyes at me, but hear me out! I have something I would like to share with you I think you’re going to like.

As a young girl, I remember getting so so so excited about the family Christmas eve party my grandmother would have for her family. There was always lots of food and drinks, along with games and a very special tradition of homemade pajamas for every grandchild. All of us cousins had matching PJs and would wear them through the evening's events. This worked out perfectly because our parents could put us right to bed once they arrived home!

There’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday—two days that fall after Thanksgiving here in the United States and which focus on commercial interests and giving as it pertains to tangible gift-giving. In response to this kickoff to the giving season and a desire to create a community focus on giving back, #GivingTuesday was born in 2012. 

This year, #GivingTuesday falls on Tuesday, November 28th. 

#GivingTuesday is a celebration of America’s greatest traditions of generosity, entrepreneurialism and community. We believe wholeheartedly that every single human being has something to give, and that there are many ways of offering support. 

This year, we’re participating in a couple of ways, and we’re asking you to join us. 

I understand all too well that going home for the holidays does not always conjure up feelings related to the beauty and wonder of snowflakes and the joy and delight of spiked eggnog!
 

Ten years after the death of my father, my mother married Stan. My experience of Stan was not full of positives. For me, he was cold, harsh, unengaging, not physically affectionate, and did not like being around me and my four siblings much. Based on Stan’s demonstration it seemed he wanted my mom, but didn’t want much to do with her children—especially me, as I was the youngest and the only one still living at home.
 
They married when I was 16 after  four years of dating, and I was out of the the house 15 months later.