Julie Saffrin

A First Christmas as a Paperboy

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Christmas Day is upon us and as we celebrate this beautiful season, I wish you a blessed and wonderful day of remembering the first Christmas. I also want to express my heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who has had a part in making BlessBack turn from a dream into a published book. I could not have done it without your support and encouragement. Thank you for buying the book, reading it and passing along your good words about it. Thanks to new friends both in the United States and in the United Kingdom for reading and reviewing my book. Thanks to fellow bloggers for hosting…

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A Teacher’s Lasting Impression, a guest post by leadership coach, Barb Dusek

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Today’s guest blog post is written by Barb Dusek, founder of CorSpective and creator of the DIAL ClarityTM methodology. She is a presenter, trainer and meeting facilitator with experience in corporate management and human resources as well as holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology. I am honored to have her today as my guest blogger. Welcome, Barb! A Teacher’s Lasting Impression by Barb Dusek At a leadership development conference in November 2007, the workshop speaker asked those of us in the audience a seemingly innocuous question. “Who,” she asked, “is one of your earliest memories of good leadership?” With hardly a…

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Time, Distance and a BlessBack

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Today’s guest post is by Sue Bradley, author of the delightful book, Who Knew? The Inside Story of Being a Mom, a humorous and encouraging look at the joys and frustrations of parenting. Sue is a freelance editor and proofreader in Eagan, Minnesota.  If you know of a new mom, this is the book to gift to her for Christmas. It will put a smile on her face and remind her that though the journey of raising kids is at times hard and exasperating, it is a road worthy of our pursuit for the countless treasures found along the way. Books ($9.00 plus postage)…

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Do it Afraid – Give a BlessBack

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In my book, BlessBack®: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life, I tell the story of Elisabeth Elliot feeling compelled to return to the very tribe in Ecuador that took the life of her husband Jim. Elisabeth told her friend, “I want to go back, but I am afraid.” Her friend said to her, “Do it afraid.” And Elisabeth did. These past two weeks at Hope Presbyterian Church in Richfield, Minn., we’ve learned about gratitude and the power of a BlessBack and how it changes our lives as well as the people we go back and thank. We have shared our stories of…

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Giving Thanks: Honor a Loved One Who Has Passed

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“So, will everyone be home for the holidays?” For many of us whose loved ones have passed away, this is a question we dread. When you’ve lost a family member, never again will everyone be home for the holidays. You will always be missing your loved one’s presence at your family’s celebrations…. Come read the rest of my guest blog post on Teri Johnson’s Keeping It Personal blog.  

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Gert Saffrin’s Fantastic Pumpkin Pie

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Of the many things I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving season, close to the top of my list is Gert Saffrin’s Fantastic Pumpkin Pie recipe. Why? Because her recipe is the reason I like pumpkin pie.  As a kid, I never had a taste for it, but once in the Saffrin family, Gert’s pie won me over. Gert always served it chilled with Readi-Whip cream squirted on top. Festal Brand is the canned pumpkin you’ll need to buy. Nothing else will do. (For an interesting story about the pumpkin pie recipe of the back of a Festal Brand golden pie pumpkin can,…

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Free book download! Shelley Hitz’s new book, 21 Ways to Celebrate Gratitude

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Shelley Hitz and I both write about gratitude. I’m delighted to feature her today on the release of her new book, 21 Stories of Gratitude: The Power of Living Life with a Grateful Heart. Today she features her fifth way to celebrate gratitude by feeding families Thanksgiving meals. Welcome, Shelley! 21 Ways to Celebrate Gratitude Idea #5: Feed Families Thanksgiving Meals by Shelley Hitz Thanksgiving season is soon approaching and this year, I encourage you to take the opportunity to celebrate gratitude. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, take a moment (or two) to…

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Co-Work at The Commons: An Uncommon Workplace

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“I suppose if you had to choose just one quality to have that would be it. Vitality.  ― A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House,” by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. The window signs this fall in the in-process renovation at 540 Lake Street in Excelsior, Minn., talked about a new thing coming called The Commons: An Uncommon Workplace, a new place for entrepreneurs and people who are self-employed to come together and “co-work.” Interesting concept. I’m a self-employed writer and while I love having my independence, I need the energy of being around people to stimulate my creativity,…

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Making Connections and Kevin Bacon’s 7 degrees of separation

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I met Gaye Lindfors at The Refine Conference in September 2012. What a fun person! We had our vendor tables situated next to one another there so we had a great opportunity to connect. I also had the privilege to hear her breakout session on The Good, The Bad and The You’ve Got to be Kidding Me! which was fabulous and gave me wonderful insights. I particularly liked her idea to step back when I’m feeling hurt, anxious or tired and “put a frame around the situation.” I loved her humor, honesty and integrity and simple ideas. If your church or event or retreat needs a speaker, you…

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