7th Sunday 2026 Expectation, Contrast, and the Complexity of Experience This week began most ordinarily — a conversation with friends around food. We started talking about spice, how spice transforms cuisine, how one small ingredient can completely shift a dish from bland to brilliant. And then it struck me. We often say, “Variety is the spice of life.” But what does that truly mean? Spices are not all or nothing. They are layered. Subtle or bold. Sweet, savory, smoky, bitter

A year of Sundays 2026 The Mission and the Masterpiece I lost myself in a novel this week, and it was absolutely wonderful! Some days, I find that fiction is far superior to fact—and I say that only half in jest. The book that took my mind on a much-needed vacation is titled Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (2022). It follows a group of senior women who have spent their lives in a most unusual profession: as elite assassins. While the plot is thrilling, the though

Choosing Love, Harmony, and Purpose in Uncertain Times February 1, 2026. A new month. A new week. The winds are colder. The skies are a little darker. The storms—both internal and external—move through slowly, insistently. It is winter in every sense. A season of stillness, yes, but also one of reckoning. This week, I have sat with heavy questions. Why are we here? Does it even matter to know? Sometimes, these inquiries arise not from curiosity but from fatigue. Life feels t

The Power of Surrendered Focus in a World That Pulls at Your Attention There is something quiet and clarifying about this fourth Sunday. A turning point of sorts. January is nearly complete, and I sense the soft shifting of pace—no longer rushing into the year, but now listening more deeply to what it wants to teach me. This week reminded me that clarity is not the

What We Can Control, What We Must Release, and What We Are Becoming These days, life feels like one long sequence of surprises. Plans are rewritten. Expectations dissolve. Stability shifts like sand. In moments like these, a sense of powerlessness can feel overwhelming. But even as the world turns unpredictably, I am reminded that there is power within reach—a kind that is rooted not in controlling others or fixing every outcome, but in returning to myself. “The first and gre

Emotion vs. Fact Reflections on Self-Mastery, Emotional Clarity, and Empowered Living Time is moving swiftly. It feels as if I just wrote my first Sunday post—and yet here we are again, seven days into the unfolding of 2026. Life is indeed fleeting, but each moment carries within it the chance to pause, to reflect, and to choose again. This past week brought unexpected challenges—new, interesting, and revealing. Through them, I was reminded of a timeless truth: I cannot contr

Imagination, Inner Wisdom, and New Possibilities Happy New Year. It is a phrase often repeated during this season. Familiar. Predictable. Sometimes, even automatically. But what if this year, we choose to receive these words as something more? A blessing. A conscious pause. A gentle doorway into deeper living. In 2026, I am choosing to reclaim this phrase. Not as something casual or hollow—but as a quiet invocation. An invitation to witness life as it unfolds, to listen for t

We made it. There is something profoundly satisfying about reaching the last Sunday of the year — a day wrapped in gratitude, reflection, and a quiet exhale of “Yes… we made it.” It reminds me of one of my children’s favorite childhood books, Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus. In it, little Leo the tiger struggles to read, write, and keep up with others. His patient parents remind him that he will bloom “in his own time,” and one day, Leo does — declaring proudly, “I made

Resilience — The Quiet Strength Within Resilience is the perfect theme for this Sunday, the closing stretch of a year that has tested, stretched, and ultimately strengthened so many of us. What an amazing year — so challenging and yet so profoundly special. Earlier this week, my son-in-law remarked that I still live in a “fantasy world of laws and rights,” a place where fairness and integrity are assumed constants. His comment lingered with me as I watched the week’s unsettli

Imagine Your Greatness As we approach the close of another remarkable year, I find myself filled with gratitude and reflection. 2025 has been a teacher — one that showed me lessons I did not even realize I needed to learn. Each challenge, surprise, and triumph has shaped me into a more grounded and self-aware version of myself. This week, my thoughts revolve around renewal — the kind that begins from within. Life, in its precious and fleeting nature, reminds us that the time

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Small Shifts, Great Changes Here we are—the 341st day of the year. Only twenty-four days remain in 2025. It is the perfect moment to pause and ask: What am I looking forward to? What am I ready to change? How do I want to feel this time next year? This week, my reflections centered on one simple truth: I am finally taking care of myself—because I want to. I have started fitness programs before, countless times in fact, but this time something clicked. I walk a mile a day, so

Gratitude and Expectation: The Final Four Sundays It is hard to believe that we have only four more Sundays left in this year-long project! I am filled with profound gratitude for all of the sweet Sundays that have passed and for all of the lessons learned in the days between. I am truly grateful for your readership and for the valuable insights I have encountered while writing and posting this blog. I hope my gentle reminders of focus have helped you this year. Now , we shi

The Practice of Profound Thankfulness In the current state of our country, climate, world, and universe, finding things that we have to be thankful for are immense and ever evolving. Oh, we are so blessed to be alive and organic. This week, I have been reflecting on the true meaning of thankfulness, not just as a fleeting emotion, but as a deliberate practice, a philosophical stance against apathy. My thoughts are guided by some of the greatest minds who studied human flouris

Remember Who You Are To every season, there is a reason — and to every life, a purpose. This week, I found myself reflecting on identity, purpose, and the quiet strength that emerges when we pause long enough to remember who we are . The world around us is loud right now—politically, socially, emotionally—and it can easily drown out our inner voice. But underneath the noise, we each carry a deep, unchanging truth. If you do not know your purpose, there is one sacred place to

Introduction When most people think about grants, they think of organizations or nonprofits. But did you know there are grant opportunities available specifically for individuals ? That’s where the resource titled “Grants to Individuals” becomes really interesting—it’s a curated source listing grant‑makers who support individual applicants (artists, students, researchers, etc.). What is the Resource? The “Grants to Individuals” resource is a database (or listing service) of

“Yikes!” — Gathering Your Power in Turbulent Times Yikes! That is truly the only word that captures the spirit of this week. So many things happening at once—globally, personally, spiritually—it feels like the emotional winds have been strong enough to shake even the most grounded roots. This week reminded me that now, more than ever, it is essential to gather every ounce of emotional intelligence , lean into daily affirmations, and anchor ourselves in gratitude. The world ma

Relentless Hope Hope! Wow! This week unfolded with transitions in every direction—social, political, and personal. It has been a week of shifting ground, yet through it all, one message rang clearly: hope must be relentless . I realized once again that while I cannot control the events of the world, I can control my response to them. My reactions shape my peace of mind, my health, and my sense of purpose. As the storms of uncertainty swirl around, the practice of grounding m

The Speed of Time and the Grace of Reflection Time is moving so fast! These autumn weeks seem to be rushing by, as if the calendar itself is eager to reach the holidays. I almost forgot to pause and create my Sunday reflections—proof that even our most cherished rituals can slip away in the current of busy days. Yet, as I sit here now, tea in hand and the scent of cinnamon lingering in the air, I am filled with gratitude. I love this time of year—the anticipation of gatherin

Grants 101: Time to Recalibrate — Why Your Grant Narrative Must Evolve The grant-writing arena has changed. What worked even two years ago may no longer resonate today. Funders are refining their priorities, focusing more on mission alignment, measurable impact, and systemic change rather than simply providing charity. It’s time to recalibrate — to rethink how we tell our stories, how we define success, and most importantly, how we connect our mission to the mission of the