DDS fortunately selected me to be in their Self-Determination roll out. I was the first one in the state to have their plan approved. A whole team of people had to come together and work hard to make that happened. The plan worked as advertised until the pandemic hit. Then Read more…
We seem to be always striving for something we want and don’t have, living in a perpetual deficit. We are constantly coming up with new plans and goals. We never take the time to savor what we have accomplished. I urge you to pause a moment and reflect and celebrate Read more…
Friendships are like plants. They need to be attended daily to grow, flourish, and bare fruit. Friendships begin with a smile, and a kind word. They grow with a lot of listening, empathy, and acceptance. Humor, fun, and spontaneity fertilize the friendship. Honesty, trust, loyalty and respect quench the friendship’s Read more…
When this pandemic hit, I was worried that because I was single, I wouldn’t be able to make it. Much to my surprise, I discovered friends I didn’t know I had and they did me favors that greatly helped me out. I offered them money to reimburse them for their Read more…
We might come into this world by ourselves and exit this world by ourselves, but we live our lives in unity with others. The challenge is to build the bridges between our hearts and minds. This is exciting work involving conversations, and dialogs, hugs and handshakes, and time spent with Read more…
There are many reasons why Jesus came. I want to talk about the most import–to teach us to love. It is a whole lot harder than it first seems. Circumstance and other emotions get in the way and distract us. In this complicated world we live in, it is all Read more…
The morning broke at sunrise, and the day went by as the sun danced across the skies until it rested in the Pacific Ocean. During that time, a lot has happened to me. I woke up and did my morning routine that included working out. I texted, emailed, and phoned Read more…
Since this pandemic started, I have placed a priority on reaching out to my friends. Sheltering-in-place is hard enough, but dealing with loneliness and isolation can be simply too much. I figured out quickly that to sit back and wait for people to contact me would never happen. I had Read more…
I can’t remember the last time I made an entry. Much has happened in my life and in the lives of everyone else. We are dealing with, masks, washing hands, social distancing, and shelter-in-place. We have to deal with a lot of uncertainty and fear. We are dealing with so Read more…
By Paul Mansell Community, integration, and access speak to our need for healthy group affiliation. It is part of our very human nature to seek out groups and be a part of them—be it family or friends, work, civic group, place of worship, etc. Being part of a group helps Read more…