Seeing the Forest for the Trees A few weeks ago, while hiking in a forest heading up to a small hot springs with some friends, I stood in a forest that had once been consumed by fire. Blackened trunks still marked the landscape, reminders of what had been lost. Yet beneath them, young trees stretched […]
Belonging Is Built One Choice at a Time Read More »
Is This Radical? There is something quietly radical about gathering people together simply to listen. Not to debate. Not to persuade. Not to win. Just to listen long enough for another human being to feel seen. The Shining Beautiful Heartbeat That is the heartbeat beneath Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block — the
The Places Between Us, Why Belonging Still Matters. Read More »
February arrives quietly, carrying the language of love into a world that still feels unsettled. This is not the easy love of cards and flowers, but the steadier kind—the love that stays when systems strain, when grief lingers, and when the news refuses to soften. In traumatic times, loving ourselves becomes an act of resistance
Love as a Creative Practice in Uncertain Times Read More »
Celebrating Mikelle’s Birthday in the Shadows of Her Grandma’s Home This summer, Mikelle celebrated her birthday at the home of her brother Kasey and his wife Allison, once her beloved Grandma’s house for sixty-two years. Although it marked the second birthday without her Grandma, gathering friends in the revitalized backyard breathed new life into the celebration.
A Tale of Two Celebrations: Mikelle’s Memorable Birthday Bash Read More »
Doubt Nagging doubt and uncertainty have replaced my fear. Yet, I know I am not alone as I share a cup of coffee with the unknown. Four other women, all with adults who experience disabilities and have been living an inclusive life in their own homes, feel my trepidation about growing older. What will it
Part Two: What is Next? Read More »
Hello Beautiful! Spring is sprouting here in the Rocky Mountain area. Daffodils and forsythia burst with bright yellows, fragrant pink and purple hyacinths delight us as we walk the neighborhood. After that wild March Madness, we hope that we can share our Springtime Strategies for coping and self-care in a world of constant change. We
Spring Time Strategies for Self-Care. Read More »
Gratitude exists in many forms here at the Shining Beautiful community. Health, safety, good friends and community, and wonderful women who cross our path for just a brief period at a fundamental moment in their lives. Mikelle and I know that no one woman will stay with us forever. The longest lasted ten years, the
Label Jars Not People…a Caregiver’s Perspective. Read More »
Five beautiful women gathered at the old mansion in the middle of town. The sky was not gray with clouds, or blue in color, but shimmered in shades ombre tinted from the forest fire up north. The air hinted of a fall on a late summer’s morning. A light breeze blew the old trees bordering
The Gathering of Women During COVID Read More »
Typically, each year we celebrate Mikelle’s birthday at Cheeseman Park. We have been doing this for so long I actually can’t think of the last time we didn’t celebrate there. We celebrated her 29th birthday when the temperature roared by 105 degrees. We celebrated in down coats and gloves with rain drizzles in 59 degrees
Birthdays, Community and COVID Read More »
Change – the pace of change is real! None of us could have planned for COVID, protests, economic challenges, job loss, and alteration in services for our families. I know Mikelle, and I never thought we would be social distancing. Our focus has always been being active in our community. Mikelle and I have developed
Change and ResponsAbilty Read More »
