by Lillian Lake | | Building Community
“August slipped away into a moment in time ’cause it was never mine…” “August slipped away into a moment in time ’cause it was never mine…” —- this line from Taylor Swift’s song, August, always gets my...
by Lillian Lake | | Caregiving
“Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.” (Mary Anne Radmacher) Pain, fatigue, and feeling alone with your chronic illness can make self-pity and crying an effortless option. From the...
by Lillian Lake | | Caregiving, Food, Spiritual
In the beginning. Eight years ago, following emergency surgery and an extended stay in the hospital, I couldn’t eat any food without extreme bloating and pain, requiring a potent pain reliever. I spent months on bone broth and didn’t have the energy to...
by Lillian Lake | | Desserts, Food, Grief, Recipes
My “go-to” therapy is playing my piano or baking when I have something challenging to work through. As hot as it was in Iowa when we were there on vacation a few weeks ago, I baked up a storm. Coincidentally, it did storm with all kinds of crazy thunder and lightning....
by Lillian Lake | | Grief, Spiritual
“It’s been a long day without you, my friend, and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again. We’ve come a long way from where we began. Oh, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.”. (See You Again, Wiz Khalifa) Since my sister...
by Lillian Lake | | Angel Encounters, Spiritual
A few years ago, I had an experience during surgery and recovery that changed the direction of my life. The experience was a moment of wonderment. During the times that, from a medical perspective, I was leaving consciousness, I remember feeling as though I was...
by Lillian Lake | | Building Community, Spiritual
Often my colleagues comment on my resiliency, followed by asking how I stay positive and happy in facing challenges and disappointments. At first, it never occurred to me that this was my natural state. Don’t get me wrong; I have my grief moments when I fall into...
by Lillian Lake | | Caregiving, Spiritual
It has been years since I’ve bothered to make New Year resolutions. I’ve never been one to be interested in such a thing. I assume most people don’t keep them even if they make them because why else would there be so many out there claiming they can help you keep...
by Lillian Lake | | Building Community, Caregiving, Spiritual
Every one of my favorite childhood stories seems to have the thread of compassion, helping those who have less, and looking for the upside when everything seems upside down. The Little Match Girl, by Hans Christian Anderson, first published in 1845 during Victorian...
