For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been on what I call my post-pandemic reunion tour, meeting friends I hadn’t seen in over a year for lunches and dinners at favorite restaurants. And it was glorious.Continue Reading
Memorial Day 2021
To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. ― Thomas Campbell
Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day when we honor the memory of the men and women who have died in military service. We also celebrate the arrival of summer, but because of the reason for the holiday, it never feels right to me to say “Happy Memorial Day,” so instead, I’m wishing you a day filled with love and beautiful memories.Continue Reading
Sunday Cat Love and Above: Cats Are Co-Pilots to Self-Love
Guest post by Siena Lee-Tajiri
Last month we reinforced how we already know how to love as evident through how we care for our beloved cats. We also touched on how our cats can serve as secure role models for love. Today I’m going to shed some light on why self-love is so hard, and how our amazing cats can help us turn more of our love towards ourselves.Continue Reading
Remembering Ruby: That Time When Ruby Helped Me Clean
I am so grateful to have eight years of Ruby’s Reflections to look back on, even though of course, eight years isn’t nearly enough. We don’t realize how quickly we can forget the small, everyday things after we lose a loved one. It’s one of the many reasons why I encourage people to journal after they lose a cat and write down as many memories as they can. Capturing memories while they’re fresh in our minds is a precious gift to ourselves.Continue Reading
Sunday Quotes: Baby Steps
As of today, I am considered “fully vaccinated,” and it’s finally safe to go back out into the world again. There are so many things I’m looking forward to: hugging my friends, eating in restaurants, going back to stores. I’m excited, but I’m not going to throw caution to the wind overnight. I’ll be stepping out of my pandemic cocoon gradually.Continue Reading
Happy Birthday to My Mom 2021
Hi everyone, it’s Allegra! Today is Mom’s birthday, and I’m surprising her with flowers and a special present!Continue Reading
Sunday Quotes: Relief
Last Sunday I got my second Covid jab, and relief doesn’t even begin to describe what I felt. It truly feels like the end of this year-long nightmare is finally getting closer, and I can’t wait to resume some activities I haven’t felt comfortable with for over a year.Continue Reading
Allegra’s World: Coffee Table Makeover, Part Two
Hi everyone, it’s Allegra! Remember how I told you about how I helped Mom paint our coffee table a couple of weeks ago? Well, guess what! I got to help with another project!Continue Reading
Happy Mother’s Day 2021
My mom passed away 27 years ago, yet Mother’s Day still is a bit of a bittersweet day. The pain of missing her has faded after all these years, but I still feel some sadness when Mother’s Day cards start showing up in stores, friends make plans to spend time with their moms, and restaurants offer Mother’s Day specials. Continue Reading
Sunday Quotes: Depth of Love
I’ve been a fan of Grey’s Anatomy from the very start and haven’t missed an episode. I’m still watching 17 seasons later. And while the show has had moments that have remained with me over the years, I never thought I’d actually use a line from the show for this column. Until the episode a few weeks ago, which featured the above quote.Continue Reading
Sunday Cat Love and Above: You Already Know How to Love
Guest post by Siena Lee-Tajiri
Clients often ask me, “why is self love so hard?” and my response is always something like, “I know, right?!” Loving ourselves is a big part of our spiritual journey and as a journey, we’ll never get there and be done with it. But we can absolutely get better at it in leaps and bounds!…I promise you. For right now, just take in the fact that you already know how to love. Really take it in, say it out loud, let all the cells in your body hear it: “I already know how to love.” Continue Reading