The Resolute Woman

Author: resolutewoman

  • The search for wisdom

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    resolutewoman
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    We heard an interview with Dr. Karl Pillemer, professor of human development at Cornell University and the author of a book called Thirty Lessons for Living—Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans. Pillemer asked people who have lived 70 or more years to share their wisdom and came up with 30 lessons. The book…

  • Be cautious, friendly and conscientious

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    Trying to take off the pounds you gained during the holidays? A new study from the National Institute of Aging, featured in the AARP Magazine, suggests that you should be more cautious, friendlier and more conscientious. According to this study, impulsive people weigh 22 pounds more than cautious people. If you are antagonistic, you’ll gain…

  • Words of wisdom from Martin Luther King Jr.

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    I was searching for a present for my friend Bradley, who just had his 9th birthday, when I found a winner. The book Martin’s Big Words—The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport is a Caldecott Honor Book, a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book, a Coretta Scott King…

  • More wisdom from a wedding

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    We shared a little wisdom from a wedding in our last blog post, and we have a little more wisdom from that same wedding to share in this blog post. The wedding included a poem by James Dillet Freeman, a Cherokee minister. We like these lines from “Blessing for a Marriage.” May you need one…

  • Wisdom from a wedding

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    I attended a splendid wedding recently with a bride and groom who were obviously very much in love, magnificent music and a mother-of-the-bride, my friend Susie, who looked beautiful in a long blue dress. The wedding included a reading from a prayer written by Robert Louis Stevenson. These are the parts of the prayer that…

  • Divide your life into chapters

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    Recently David Brooks, the New York Times columnist, asked people over 70 to send him essays about their lives and what they have done poorly or well. One of Brooks’ conclusions after reading all of these essays was: Divide your life into chapters. According to Brooks, the people who see “time as an unbroken flow,…

  • Take a holiday vacation

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    We’ve been busy getting ready for the holidays and celebrating the holidays. No matter how we plan ahead or try to simplify, the holiday season always ends up busy. That’s why we’re going to take a holiday vacation. Fayteen plans to spend an afternoon reading a book, and Joy’s planning an afternoon at the movies. …

  • What if you didn’t have a perfect holiday?

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    What if your new recipe flopped? What if there was conflict between two people you love? What if you were ill or sad about the recent death of a loved one? Joy remembers Christmas 2010 when she spent Christmas Day in bed with pneumonia, with only enough strength to make a brief appearance for Christmas…

  • Resolute Women of the Year

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    We’re nominating Ranna, Fayteen’s daughter, for Resolute Woman of the Year. Since the middle of January, she has battled breast cancer with seven surgeries and a number of complications. She has had bad days, of course, but she has continued to be a brave, optimistic fighter. Even more amazing, throughout her illness, Ranna has continued…

  • Deciding to delay writing resolutions

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    In our last blog post, we explained that this year we’re listing our accomplishments for 2011 instead of our resolutions for 2012 on New Year’s Day. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to make goals for the new year. We’re big believers in making goals. What we’re going to do is make a decision to…