Elizabeth Strout, one of my favorite authors, reports that she never took a literature course and she never took a psychology course. Instead, she listens to people. “I have listened and listened and listened my whole life,” Strout says. “If you listen carefully enough, people will tell you exactly the kind of person they are.” […]
Archive by Author
Start over again
by resolutewoman on September 24, 2022 in change, goals
Everyone is supposed to make resolutions in January. My friend Fayteen and I used to promote spring as the best season to make new goals. Maybe autumn would be best!? As F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall!” –Joy
Happy autumn!
by resolutewoman on September 22, 2022 in beauty, change, happiness
Yesterday, I found a leaf in my neighbor’s yard. She is gone for a few days; so, I stole it. It’s the first leaf of autumn I’ve found. It is mostly brown, but part of it is a rich orange. The first leaf of autumn! And, there will be many more. I was reminded of […]
Wisdom from the queen
by resolutewoman on September 20, 2022 in resolute-women, wisdom
Queen Elizabeth once talked about leadership. “I know of no single formula for success. But, over the years, I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together,” she said.
Presence is power
by resolutewoman on September 17, 2022 in character, courage, families, friends, Uncategorized
Pay attention! I know it’s important, but often I find my mind wandering when I’m talking to a friend or with a group of people. Michelle Huneven in her book Search has a good reminder. ”The most powerful person in any room is the one most fully present. Presence is the source of power,” Huneven […]
My bodily autonomy?!
by resolutewoman on September 15, 2022 in boundaries, health, sexism, Uncategorized
Former Vice President Pence wants to implement a nationwide ban on abortion and to continue the fight “to restrict bodily autonomy.” Bodily autonomy is “the right to governance over one’s own body.” Yikes! Former Vice President Pence has no right to restrict my bodily autonomy—or the bodily autonomy of any woman. –Joy
A new friend
by resolutewoman on September 13, 2022 in friends
I made a new friend last week—a woman who attends a Zoom class with me, but someone I had never seen in-person. We talked in-person for more than an hour, and I know we will visit again—and be friends. It’s the pandemic again. It is so much easier to connect in-person—and so wonderful to make […]
Autumn flowers and pumpkins
by resolutewoman on September 10, 2022 in beauty, friends, happiness, Uncategorized
I had lunch at the Dallas Arboretum, where the autumn flowers, yellow and orange and purple, are blooming—and pumpkins are being stacked in piles. By September 17, the arboretum will display 100,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash. I enjoyed my lunch and a leisurely walk with a friend, and I was reminded of a quote by […]
So-called Christians
by resolutewoman on September 8, 2022 in friends, kindness, love, Uncategorized
This is the letter to the editor that I submitted to The Dallas Morning News. It was printed on Wednesday, September 9, 2022, with only a few minor changes: The headline on an article on the front page of the September 2, 2022, issue of your newspaper declared: “Christians sue over HIV drugs.” I am […]
Making connections?!
by resolutewoman on September 6, 2022 in friends, patience, Uncategorized
I am always intrigued by how I “connect” with some people immediately while I take weeks or months to connect with other people—and I never connect with some people. As Michelle Huneven says in her book Search, “I didn’t hate her. I didn’t dislike her. We simply didn’t connect.” –Joy
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.
