General Thoughts
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How Many Times Can You Start Over?
Several times in my life, I’ve had to hit the reset button and start from scratch. It can get exhausting, but it’s also a chance to change or improve the outcome by making different choices. Starting over can be difficult On January 18, 2024, I started over on a better health journey. I had planned my “start over” to coincide with the first of the year, but life and some health issues got in the way. So, that Saturday morning, I stepped on the scale. And I cried. I didn’t like the number staring back at me and knew I had to change my habits to be healthier. Since that…
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2024 in Book Reviews
I read 75 books in 2024 and wrote half of my sixth novel, which is tentatively titled Four Hearts. While I originally planned to set a goal of 100 books, I changed my goal to 75 books early in the year due to unforeseen circumstances. Here are my top reads for the year. Top 10 best reads for 2024 (traditionally published) These are in order, starting with my favorite read of the year. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr This Used to Be Us by Renée Carlino This Impossible Brightness by Jessica Bryant Klagmann Spirit Crossing (Cork O’Connor, #20) by William Kent Krueger Camino Ghosts (Camino Island,…
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Weddings and Funerals: Changing Relationships with Family and Friends
Most people will say they love their family and closest friends. I’m no different. I love them all dearly. But, like many people, I don’t see them often since we live in different towns, and the COVID-19 Pandemic didn’t help matters. But hasn’t it always been that way? In the olden days, people either stayed in one town their whole lives or ventured off to the wild frontier, only communicating in letters. Back then, moving away might mean never seeing family and friends again. At least in more modern times, we have phones and other electronic ways to communicate—if and when we make time to reach out. Family trees My…