Hand holding sparkler. Text says if all you did this year was hold yourself together, I’m proud of you.
, , , ,

Stay Calm and Begin Anew

As my family discussed New Year’s Eve, an interesting theme emerged. All we feel is a heavy sigh of relief and a desire to quietly, almost solemnly begin anew. I think we’re getting Mod Pizza and watching a movie.  Tomorrow the newspaper…
For wisdom is better than pearls; nothing you want can compare with her. Proverbs 8:11
, ,

5 Lessons from 5 Months of Consistent Daily Journaling

Less than five days until I officially start Grad School! WooHoo!! Amazingly and without any planning, Monday will also be the last day of my experiment with daily journaling for 150 days. Here are the TOP 5 THINGS I’VE LEARNED from focused,…
Blue sky with rainbow kite. Text reads: The Dailies with Elisa. Facebook.com/groups/thedailies Your daily dose for radical resilience. Mindset, health perspective
, , , ,

Day 133 of the 150 day micro-journaling experiment

I started The Dailies in a dark PTSD cave. Anxiety attacks regularly sent me running to huddle in my closet with uncontrollable full body tremors that lasted for hours. This went on for months. Previously I had only experienced episodic PTSD…
soldier playing with working dog
, , ,

Courage Training 101

I’m listening to the audio version of Brené Brown’s book, Dare to Lead. At one minute and fifty-three seconds into the book I hear this.... “I looked at these brave soldiers and said, ‘Vulnerability is the emotion that we experience…
Photo of my 3 kids in front of a Christmas tree when they were little
, ,

A Perfectly Imperfect Christmas

Our favorite ornament on the tree was received by my husband 16 years ago. A round red globe holds a small framed photo of our children. When you press a button, 3 little voices ring out in an offbeat chorus, "I love my Daddy! I love my Daddy!…
,

How to Be Thankful in All Things

Are you thankful in all things? Does it matter? On Friday I learned I have a basal cell carcinoma on my lower leg. Although yes it is skin cancer, it can be removed and cured without likelihood of follow up treatment. And yet, I’ve been angry…
, ,

March 1st 2018

March 1st will forever be an extraordinary day. On this day in 2014, at approximately 8:00 PM Central time, EMTs raced my hemorrhaging body into an emergency room in Wichita, Kansas. I was given less than a 5% chance of living. As one surgeon…
, ,

”FEARLESS”

Each year I choose one word to be my focus for the year. Typically by the last quarter of the year I already know what my Word of the Year needs to be. For example, 2016 was a brutal year that included the death of my beloved grandfather…

The Extraordinary Impact of Gratitude

This time of year, most Americans focus on thankfulness. (Canadians were thankful last month.) Social media abounds with posts touting gratitude, service, and reconciliation. Let's all come together! And then January happens..... With…
, ,

Go… And Be of Service

In a mere 14 days, people around North America came together to raise over $54,000 to get a woman back home to her family. A strong and supportive team that had worked day and night to keep this woman alive transported her out of an ICU on Good…