I love my walks in my neighborhood in Dallas, but I love even more walks in New Mexico. And, I’m in New Mexico visiting my brother—and we are taking walks! As John Muir once said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” Or, she seeks, of course! –Joy
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A walk in nature
by resolutewoman on April 14, 2022 in adventures, beauty, families, hope, Uncategorized
The heart of empathy
by resolutewoman on March 10, 2022 in character, families, friends, Uncategorized
What is empathy? Christopher Myers, in his introduction for Home Is Not a Country, offers one answer. “It seems to me,” he says, “that this knowledge—that you could have just as easily been any one of a hundred other people—is at the heart of empathy. It’s the realization that every person you meet, or see […]
A home is a thing to be made
by resolutewoman on March 8, 2022 in families, happiness, love
What is your home? Is it the house where you live? What if you move to a different house? Is your home the people you live with—the people you love? In the acknowledgements for her book Home Is Not a Country, Safia Elhillo thanks the global Sudanese community “for teaching me that a home is […]
Just be “nice”
by resolutewoman on March 5, 2022 in advice, families, friends, kindness
I never have liked the word “nice.” Somehow, it always seems a bit trite, but the word is packed with a lot of information. That’s why I like this quote by anonymous. “Treat everyone with kindness, even those who are rude to you, not because they are nice but because you are.” –Joy
Remember kindness
by resolutewoman on March 3, 2022 in families, friends, kindness
I sometimes have to remind myself that I can be kind to everyone. “Kindness is in our power even when fondness is not,” Henry James once said. –Joy
Endless pools of unknowability
by resolutewoman on February 5, 2022 in families, friends, marriage
In her book Oh, William!, Elizabeth Strout writes about William and Lucy, who used to be married to each other. An NPR interviewer commented, “Lucy and William knew each other very well, but they didn’t know each other as well as they thought they did. “Has you ever experienced this?” “Yes, I have,” Strout answered, […]
We are mysteries
by resolutewoman on February 3, 2022 in families, friends
In her book Oh, William!, Elizabeth Strout writes about William and Lucy—and about knowing and not knowing—other people and ourselves, too. At the end of the book, Strout concludes: But when I think Oh William!, don’t I mean Oh Lucy! too. Don’t I mean Oh Everyone, O dear Everybody in this whole wide world, we […]
Food and families
by resolutewoman on December 23, 2021 in families, food, holidays
We have been cooking—my sister-in-law Barbie’s toffee, my husband’s father’s fudge, my grandmother Margaret Jackson’s soft raisin cookies. Christmas is a time for families—those who will be with us during the holiday and those who live still in our hearts. –Joy
Wonderful, not perfect
by resolutewoman on December 16, 2021 in celebrations, families, holidays
“I want this Christmas to be perfect,” I told my husband this morning. Last year, Jerry and I spent Christmas with just the two of us. This year, our two children with be home—and each will bring a spouse for the first time. “It won’t be perfect,” Jerry told me, laughing. “But, it will be […]
Be thankful
by resolutewoman on November 25, 2021 in families, happiness, holidays, thankfulness
I am thankful for pecan pie and mashed potatoes—and, most of all, I’m thankful that my daughter and her husband will be here for Thanksgiving—and my daughter and son and both of their spouses will be here for Christmas. As Shakespeare said, “O, Lord, that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” […]
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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.
