Testing The Waters

"Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it?  I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it." ~ Daisy Buchanan (The Great Gatsby) Well this Friday, June 21st, is the longest day of the year.  It's not only the longest day of the year it is also referred to as Midsummer which is celebrated in Europe much like Christmas and New Years and it is also known as the Summer Solstice. * Solstice derives from the latin sol  (sun) and sistere  (to stand still). As the day progresses the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky. IT'S PLANETARY The summer solstice occurs when the Earth's axis is at its maximum tilt towards the sun and the sun in turn is at its highest point in the sky, the meeting of these two celestial events is the longest day of the year, meaning it is the one day in the whole year with the most daylight. It falls in June on the Northern Hemisphere and in Dece...

When I started this blog on January 22, 2010 it began as a test. I was curious to see how many people would actually read my writing. At that time my writings were all over the place. A year later I created a more focused goal for my blog - I wanted to use my blog to motivate and inspire others. I shared personal stories from my life like the one I wrote on my Grandmother called:  Things My Grandmother Taught Me  and human interest stories like the one about Phillipe Petit, the man who walked a tight rope across the World Trade Center (  A Tight Rope Walk To Inspiration ). About six months ago I decided to use my blog as a stepping stone.  My long term goal is to obtain work as a freelance writer for on-line publications so I decided to use my blog as a show case for my writing. And well, now I've decided to take that goal one step further. I will continue to post new stories every week (on Wednesdays) but now once a month I will do a feature story covering an a...

So it's that time of year again. Another year is ending and a New Year is beginning. If you follow my blog you know that I do not subscribe to making "resolutions" --  I think they tend to set us up for disappointments and failures. So what do I do? First, I look at the current year and try to boil it down into a single theme. 2012 was an interesting ride (to say the least). We experienced extreme highs and extreme lows. It was one of those years that I am happy to see come to an end. If I had to put 2012 into a "theme" I'd say it was a "don't forget to wear your seat belt" kind of year.  My faith was tested this year and I came out the other side with a stronger connection to my spirituality, a greater understanding of who I am, and an even stronger connection to my husband. What did 2012 look like for you? Can you sum it up in a single sentence? After I sum up my year I sit down with my husband and set up a plan for the coming year. ...