For those of you who follow Pink, you know I have lost 72 pounds. Well, in 2016 I gained 30 of it back after keeping it off three years. Of course I want to have a hissy fit about it, and yes, I am mad at myself, but neither of these actions serve me nor change it. So, this hissy fit is going to be different; I am not going to beat myself up. I am going to be gentle, nurturing and kind to myself. After all, it is pain and heartache that got me to this point. I don’t need any more.

February is the time of year when all eyes turn to love.  A day, February 14, Valentine’s Day, when we make a special effort to let people know we love them by showering them with a sea of pink and red hearts, cupids, cards, chocolates, candy grams, flowers, dinners and champagne. It is a beautiful day for most because we have expanded it to not only include lovers, but also children, family and friends. There is only one flaw with Valentine’s Day: It is just ONE day.

I sat in the balcony of a beautiful, historical, Lutheran church in downtown Charleston. It was a Friday morning. I peered down to the sea of black, bulging from the pews of the filled sanctuary. It was somber. The sniffles of quickly wiped tears wafted through the air. It was the funeral of Carter. He was 22.

“The New Year is a painting not yet painted; a path not yet stepped on; a wing not yet taken off! Things haven’t happened as yet! Before the clock strikes twelve, remember that you are blessed with
the ability to reshape your life!”   — Mehmet Murat ildan

When most people think of miracles, they think of acts so great they are beyond earthly power. Some think of the many miracles Jesus performed in the Bible, such as restoring a blind man’s sight and bringing a dead man back to life.