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 …
Tradition Every year is different, yet the same during the holidays. Tradition abounds at the Shining Beautiful household. So Mikelle’s annual holiday party is not to be missed. Except for last year when holiday parties took a COVID hiatus. Even this year, the darn virus threatens to disrupt as the Omicron mutation grows. But, thrice …
“Never let the things you cannot do prevent you from doing the things you can.” -Coach John Wooden Oh my goodness, the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel grows brighter by the day. I don’t know about you but Mikelle has visions of unlimited purse shopping at Target, endless coffee chats with …
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 …
We at the Shining Beautiful Series are rethinking our entire way of providing support for Mikelle to define a new and vibrant rhythm to life in a world that changes daily. Over the years, we have engineered, refined, and established a remarkable way of supporting Mikelle, effectively maximizing her self-determination and control over her life. …
Rethinking, Reimagining, and Resolved to be Resilient. Read More »
The Freedom of Mobility There is a moment, a moment full of panic and anxiety, when Mikelle’s wheelchair pauses. This chair is well over five years old. It is worn and beaten with many technical issues. When you work with Mikelle you learn to become a sort of amateur handyman, a wheel chair repair expert …
Watching a version of your life on a 50” TV is a little intimidating. So I avoided it for as long as I could. Sure, I was curious, but as I read articles in the Denver Post, or researched the series on IMDB, I found myself holding my breath and noticed I was as anxious …
Mom’s Summer Vacation Every summer my mom, Katherine Carol, hops on a plane and travels to the Dominican Republic (DR) for two weeks. It’s her chance to take a nice sunny break from our hectic everyday life. When she’s gone all my girls rally together to make sure I have everything I need. We scramble …
Do the gifts of community come from systems or families? Intelligent, hardworking human services professionals discuss the need for inclusive communities and person-centered planning. I know, I have sat in numerous conference rooms over the years, I hear the concern in their voices as they acknowledge the elusive nature of creating enduring communities. If they could provide the …
