I love being a girl. And I love giving showers. Though I don’t experience playing in the dirt like gardeners do, with giving showers, I experience euphoria as senses converge to create “festivity.” On May 19, 2014, I along with Kathryn Paradise, owner of Salon Spatoria in Victoria, co-hostessed a bridal shower tea for our friend, Mary’s daughter, Alison Harms. Kathryn and I found it especially a joy to give this shower as Alison is getting married on Flag Day, June 14, which is a birthday Kathryn and I both share. Each of us considered having the shower at our…
Read MoreFree Mother’s Day Card and Coupon Book
In celebration of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11, 2014, enjoy a FREE Mother’s Day Card and Coupon Book. Just click the button and you’ll be taken to a link to receive it.
Read MoreThank you for being a friend
Is there ever reason not to say, “Thanks”? In BlessBack’s May 2014 newsletter, I tell a story from my book, BlessBack®: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life. Eleanor Roosevelt’s mother-in-law’s response is priceless to the children’s being late for dinner. Their excuse? “We ran out of time.” The matriarch’s words, if we allow them to be, can be a life lesson for you and me. The matriarch told the children, “You had all the time there was.” Life’s uncertainty is certain, yet we can lighten another’s load. Words heal. Words break down the walls and fences we build…
Read MoreBook Review of Joy DeKok’s novel, Between the Lies
Today’s guest is Joy DeKok, author of Between the Lies, her newest and first suspense novel. Joy is the author of nine books, including non-fiction, fiction and children’s books. April 26 and 27, the e-book of this novel will be on sale for $2.99. On her Amazon author page she tells why she loves to write, “. . . over time . . . the words meshed with an equally important component: writing FOR others – to entertain and encourage; to touch and maybe even teach. It’s the writing FOR that gets me past all the excuses, fears, and distractions. The love of…
Read More“Go Bless” Earth Day only, give someone a BlessBack® for 99 cents
Sheldon Bass sent me an e-mail after he and I connected on LinkedIn. I liked his message for its simple, action-filled message. Here is what he wrote: “I think I’m translating ‘BlessBack’ correctly. I do my best to be a blessing to everyone I come across. A friend sent me an email a few years ago and he signed off with a typical, “God Bless”. Only, he accidentally left off the “d,” so it read “Go Bless”. After we talked about it, we realized it was a much better sign off to use. Simple wisdom from a typo. Go Bless.…
Read MoreBe Causal
From BlessBack®: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life by Julie Saffrin “We can be people of “because.” We can act or write others when we see them doing something good. “Be causal,” by blessing and thanking others with a BlessBack in your neighborhoods, communities and places where you work. It won’t be long before a bond of compassion forms. To help you “be causal,” if you would like to download this free stationery in pdf form, please do and send a letter to someone who deserves your thanks for how they influenced your life. Change the world. One BlessBack at…
Read MoreAmaze Yourself
Most people, as young versions of themselves, leave their dancing dreams in front of dresser mirrors. But a handful possess a love and creative ability to tell a story through dexterity, fluidity, and movement. They sense their talent and coax out its perfection. When they perform, their creative beauty loosens our austerity. We, simply by watching the years of discipline and persistence on display, become untethered and look at life from a new direction. By the end of an artist’s performance, we are not the same. We have been changed by the encounter. From our seats, we are forced by the…
Read MoreGifts from the Seastore cards are now on SmugMug.com
I love to find and capture the story in a picture. June 2013 my husband Rick bought me a new camera. Since then, I’ve filled a few SD cards. The ones I think are halfway decent I will post and a handful I will post for sale on smugmug. If you go to Gifts from the Seastore once you’re at smugmug.com, you’ll find my pictures, which you may purchase and make into a greeting card of your own choosing. Your should be able to purchase a 5 by 7 card, including shipping, for around 4 bucks. Enjoy! Here’s the link: http://juliesaffrin.smugmug.com/Gifts-from-the-seastore/ We recently went…
Read MoreMartin Luther King, Jr.’s wisdom
Attempting the Keys
Some people are willing to wreck a perfectly good piece of white. Take snow, for instance. Why can’t we leave the perfect, even-keel fluff alone? Before you know it, our boots compress, tires impinge. The absence of color goes away, replaced by the colors of humanhood. For some time now — some might call it a month, some two — I’ve stared at another form of white space — a blank screen. The white stuff is so pretty that I prefer to look at a blank page rather than destroy it with bad writing. No matter how many times I…
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