Cheryl Richardson's Blog, page 46
May 29, 2017
Week 22 – Memorial Day Murph Challenge
This weekend we stayed home and I’ve been working on the deck garden now that the weather has finally turned toward summer (although today it’s back to 50 degrees!).
As I filled pots with flowers and vegetables, I thought about my dad, a proud veteran of the Korean War, who always reminded us of the importance of remembering fallen heroes and heroines on Memorial Day.
This morning, in honor of my dad’s wishes and all the military men and women who sacrificed their lives, I participated in the...
Week 22 -Memorial Day Murph Challenge
This weekend we stayed home and I’ve been working on the deck garden now that the weather has finally turned toward summer (although today it’s back to 50 degrees!).
As I filled pots with flowers and vegetables, I thought about my dad, a proud veteran of the Korean War, who always reminded us of the importance of remembering fallen heroes and heroines on Memorial Day.
This morning, in honor of my dad’s wishes and all the military men and women who sacrificed their lives, I participated in the...
May 21, 2017
Week 21 – The Magic Mala – A story that will change your life.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in love with prayer beads. I’m sure it began in church where, as a Catholic girl attending Mass, I’d watch men and women praying the rosary. I loved the elegant look of the beads, the peaceful faces of the people who prayed, and the idea of doing something with my fidgety hands when having to sit still 
.
My love of rosary beads expanded to a love of Mala beads in my mid twenties when my brother’s girlfriend brought me a gift of Jappa Mala from India.
J...
May 14, 2017
Week 20 – The Power of Swan Medicine
Like an elegant Queen, she sits quietly on her throne, undisturbed by the world around her.
She’s strong. Determined. Clear on her intent.
Her robes are made of soft, white feathers that shield her from the elements as she waits…
Wind. Rain. Sun. Thunder. She stays still through it all.
She’s a mother protecting new life.
For a few weeks now I’ve been watching a Mute Swan as she sits on an island near our home. She’s perched on her nest waiting for eggs to hatch and each time I drive by, I sa...
Week 20 -The Power of Swan Medicine
Like an elegant Queen, she sits quietly on her throne, undisturbed by the world around her.
She’s strong. Determined. Clear on her intent.
Her robes are made of soft, white feathers that shield her from the elements as she waits…
Wind. Rain. Sun. Thunder. She stays still through it all.
She’s a mother protecting new life.
For a few weeks now I’ve been watching a Mute Swan as she sits on an island near our home. She’s perched on her nest waiting for eggs to hatch and each time I drive by, I sa...
May 7, 2017
Week 19 – When the vows break
Tis the season for weddings and last week Michael and I attended one for our nephew who’s starting a beautiful new phase of his life.
I smiled as I watched their ceremony, recalling the sweet memory of our own wedding day and the vows we wrote for each other.
Hearts filled with good intentions…
The birth of a new family…
Promises to love, honor, and cherish no matter what…
Ahhhh, the innocence of early love!
But then life happens.
And you quickly discover that this magical mystery ride called...
April 30, 2017
Week 18 – Nora Ephron, the things we take for granted, and the list
When the creative genius, Nora Ephron, died in 2012, she left a legacy that reflected a vast accomplished career. Ephron was responsible for such wonderful films as Heartburn, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and Julie & Julia.
After her death, I came across an excerpt from her last book, I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections. In it she made a list of what she would and would not miss and it’s the “What I Will Miss” list that inspired a blog post a few years ba...
April 24, 2017
Week 17 – Here’s what happens when you turn a problem into a divine assignment
Last week was a doozy here at our house.
In the middle of having our front steps and walkway repaired, we discovered a serious water problem. The wood beams and facade under our front door had completely disintegrated and upon further investigation, we learned that the stone siding on the front of our home might need to be removed to repair large patches of rotted wood.
I stood staring at the house while the construction supervisor explained the problem and I thought I was going to throw up.
...April 16, 2017
Week 16 – May You Be Lifted by the Light
(from Easter, 2015)
This morning I went to church for the first time in years.
I’d been thinking about going to celebrate Easter and a last-minute invitation from a friend who wanted company sealed the deal.
Raised Catholic, I spent every Sunday morning at church with my family. We’d file in, one-by-one, all nine of us, and settle in a pew in the front of the altar so we could watch the priest as he said Mass.
Today, staring at the coffered ceilings, the stained glass windows, and the mighty...
April 10, 2017
Week 15 – What to do when the inner critic comes calling
Sometimes the voice of the inner bully is deafening. It screams so loud that I can’t hear myself think, let alone receive the creative inspiration I need when I’m writing.
On those days I take my inner artist by the hand, walk her to our writing desk, and stand behind her as she gets started.
I have your back, I tell her.
Don’t worry.
Just write.
I’m getting pretty good at handling the critics that live in my head. Sometimes I simply let them have their say. I sit on the floor in my office wh...
