One recent Spirit of Aventure story was a guest post by Lori, a Quest For Balance reader who has quickly become my dear friend as well. That post was about a grand adventure she had a few moons ago, serving in the military. It showed a side of her that was tough, daring, and rebellious. But, as you will see, there is another side to my lovely new friend.

Today’s post is from an email she sent me describing a different kind of adventure. You may recall she is now dealing with a chronic illness, but even that can’t dampen her zest for life. Here is Lori’s story of a softer, milder, simpler kind of adventure that renewed her spirit and nurtured her soul not long ago.

Posted in beauty, happiness, love, simplicity, Spirit of Adventure 18 Comments »

So many of us deal with “special needs” issues at some point or another. Maybe we have them ourselves, or one of our children does. Sometimes a family member or close friend has complicated life issues that they didn’t choose, but must deal with nonetheless. Being able to successfully cope with these additional challenges has a lot to do with our attitude about our lot in life.

There was a time of about a year and a half when my son, Hunter, was a special needs child. He had a first surgery that went wrong, leaving him fragile and in excruciating pain for six months. Then he had a repair surgery that required him to be in a halo for three months, and on “safety mode” for a year or two after that.

Posted in compassion, family, Fellowship Fridays, helping others, love, Overcoming Challenges 16 Comments »

Dear Blog,

This is a picture of me at Ben & Jerry’s in Chattanooga this past weekend. It’s also a picture of me NOT thinking about you. For three days I was away from you completely… no internet at all. I had no access to email, Twitter, Facebook, or anything else online. And you know what? It felt pretty good.

At first I was ashamed of that fact, but then I read Jay’s post, Lazy Summer Days, and realized I shouldn’t have to feel guilty about being out, enjoying a good time away from you. I had a great life before you came along, believe it or not.

Posted in acceptance, balance, choices, guilt, helping others, love 1 Comment »