I’m looking forward to a new year, and I hope you are looking forward to 2017, too. I’ve always liked this quote by Rainer Maria Rilke: “And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” –Joy
The holiest of holidays
by resolutewoman on December 29, 2016 in holidays, peace
We celebrate Christmas with presents, friends and family, with song and story. We also celebrate in our memories, in silence, in our hearts. “The holiest of all holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart—the secret anniversaries of the heart,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said. I found this quote in a magazine in the […]
Like a child
by resolutewoman on December 24, 2016 in holidays, love, peace
“There is nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child,” Erma Bombeck once said. We wish you childlike wonder this holiday season—and love and joy and hope in your heart.
The best presents
by resolutewoman on December 22, 2016 in holidays, Joy, peace
“Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store.” –Dr. Seuss We wish you the best presents of Christmas—friends and family around you—and joy and hope and love inside you.
It’s a feeling
by resolutewoman on December 20, 2016 in holidays, love, peace
“Christmas isn’t a season,” Edna Ferber once said. “It’s a feeling.” During this Christmas season, we wish you joy and hope and love.
The Puritans didn’t like Christmas
by resolutewoman on December 17, 2016 in holidays
In 1659, the Puritan government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony actually banned Christmas. The Congregationalists, Methodists and Quakers at various times also tried to de-emphasize or eliminate the observance of Christmas, says David Forbes in his book Christmas—A Candid History. Presbyterian minister Samuel Davies denounced the holiday as a day of “sinning, sexuality, luxury and […]
The noblest gift
by resolutewoman on December 13, 2016 in holidays, stress, Uncategorized
Too much food, too many things on my to-do list, too many very special activities. This is the most delightful season. But sometimes it seems that there is too much delight all at once. Euripides reminds us: “Moderation, the noblest gift of Heaven.” And, I remind myself that I can pick and choose from the […]
What I don’t need
by resolutewoman on December 10, 2016 in holidays, thankfulness
“How many things there are which I do not need!” Socrates once said. That’s a good quote for me to remember when I am buying presents for my family and friends. There are many things that I really don’t need—and many things that my friends and family really don’t need. I found Socrate’s seasonal advice […]
A Christmas tradition
by resolutewoman on December 8, 2016 in book, holidays, stress
Christmas is a wonderful holiday, full of meaning. But, it is a busy time. “I get started early,” I told my husband a couple of days ago, “but I always end up behind.” It’s a Christmas tradition. I always feel a bit overwhelmed. How can I focus on the meaning of the season and avoid […]
It’s December!
by resolutewoman on December 6, 2016 in holidays, stress
Everyone came to our house Saturday night for a birthday party. Then, on Sunday, I helped a friend with her open house. Last night, my husband and I went to the symphony. This afternoon, my friend Olga is coming from Austin, and tonight Olga and I are going to our book club’s annual Christmas party. […]
What’s this site about?
We wrote our book and we’re writing our blog because we were frustrated. We were frustrated with experts who try to tell people how to lose weight, raise their children and improve their marriages—and be a success—in 10 easy steps. In three weeks. In one book.
Our self-help book and blog are for grownups—for women who know that there are no easy answers to life’s complex problems—that finding solutions requires some self-knowledge and self-searching and hard work.
We want to help women discover their own answers and live with them as their guide. We want to help you and other women Help Yourself!
We write about making changes and also about many other issues important to women, including families, friends, work and food.