It’s that time of year again: spring.  I love to see beautiful yards and to work in the garden.  I’m not too much of a seed person, though; I love perennials, and I’d rather purchase my annuals already in bloom (requiring very little effort on my part to transform into lovely, full blooms). Looking at the yard this year, I noticed a few bald spots in the grass and decided to remedy that by scattering a few ...

Behold what you love and find dear. Be blind of eye and deaf of ear, so that when you’ve taken firm grasp of what you love, not even blades of steal cutting through flesh, would have you release what you hold out of love. The bones would still possess the prize without having crushed what lies inside. poem by F. V. Bell  In reading the book Love by Leo Buscaglia, each time I scan through its pages, I immedi ...

I don’t know how old you are, but I’m only 11 years old, and driving is one of the things I think about a lot when I think about getting older.  But, after reading the poem below, I better understand what my mom has been telling me about growing up, making choices, and how my choices not only affect my life but the lives of others, too. The poem that comes next is very sad and may be a little disturbing to ...

“The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.” – John Dewey The focus of this month’s  Jewel of Wisdom is leadership: a concept that is familiar and generally understood by many. But I won’t speak in general terms; I will speak for myself and what comes to mind when I hear the word “leadership.” I define true leadership as being in possession of trait ...

Hey guys, Jelly’s back with you! Today’s topic is healthy eating. Now, what you probably don’t know is that, basically, I’m a psychic. I know everything that crosses your mind. Like right now, I know you’re thinking, “OMG leave me alone with all your positive tidbits…I’ll eat what I want to eat, I’m a kid!” But seriously guys, get over yourselves. Yeah, we’re kids, which puts us at a great advantage if we s ...

I remember that cold winter night like it was yesterday. I was in the relaxation studio, where I provided massages for the hotel guests. I looked over my thousand-dollar monthly invoice, and wondered if the repo man was going to snatch my car while I was sleeping. How could I get to a client’s home to provide a massage if I didn’t have a car? If they repossessed my car, not only would I still have to pay th ...

“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” ― Viktor E. Frankl Not long ago, while in a quiet place meditating and pondering a situation (what I was going to do to handle it), the phrase “accept the unacceptable” came from somewhere deep within.  As the words began to rise from that depth, I spontaneously spoke them out loud: “accept the unacceptable.” The word ...

Touch deprivation happens when someone is suffering from poor, loveless, or inadequate physical contact. Did you know that, across America, couples who sleep together each night are experiencing the effects of this malady? It’s a fact! And our anti-touch society not only affects couples; children and the elderly are experiencing isolation, violent behavior, and even depression due to touch hunger. There are ...

My brother may just be the smartest and most naturally gifted person I know.  Most of the time when he shares one of his tidbits of fascinating knowledge (which is all the time, I might add) in all honesty it goes straight over my head, like one of those elaborate, hand-made paper airplanes he would make as a kid and zoom past my head.   However, after telling him about my daughter’s upcoming spelling bee, ...

Have you ever felt the vague memory of a dream lingering like the shadow of a setting sun?  It’s there, you see it, but it seems to be slowly slipping away.  The thought of that dream makes your heart sing, but the grind of life, the fear of the unknown, and the inescapable safety of the dream world keeps it a hopeful vapor. I heard evangelist Steve Hale speak recently, and for the first time, the differenc ...