“Music is the space between the notes.” (Claude Debussy) Orbeez, Oh Boys This morning, my ten and twelve-year-old boys were at the kitchen island, their school bags and snacks yet unpacked as I glanced at the clock. Instead of preparing for school, their hands were submerged in a bin of water filled with vibrant, rainbow-colored Orbeez balls. I felt a...
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” ~ Annie Dillard I love beginning a new post with a favorite poem or quote. Here’s one from the numinous poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, that bubbled up to the surface today at just the right moment: Unresolution Because after all these years of focusing on the...
“The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities. It is the kind of mind which can see things as they are, which step by step and in a flash can realize the original nature of everything.” (Shunryu Suzuki) To Be Bored or...
“The only cure for grief, is to grieve.” (Earl Grollman) Making Space for Grief One of the places I work is a respite care center for medically fragile adults who are experiencing homelessness. The center provides living accommodations, food, case management, and a medical care team. Unlike the bustling larger homeless shelter that I begin my day at,...
The theme of resilience is a common thread through many of my art therapy groups. Resilience is the ability to grow through hard times – to bend without breaking and to persevere against the odds. I love to see the spark in people’s eyes when they are able to identify personal resilience in the context of their struggles....
“If we live as we breathe, take in and let go, we cannot go wrong.” – Clarissa Pinkola Estes I recently had one of those days. To be specific, it was one of those pandemic life days. All day I felt on edge, listless, and frustrated. Every request from my children set my teeth on edge. I wanted...
“No mud, no lotus.” – Thich Nhat Hanh This pen drawing of mine was inspired by the quote “No mud, no lotus” by the beloved Buddhist monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. I have always been drawn to his teachings, and this quote in particular. I have transported his words into my therapy groups for years. Time and time again,...