Begin with Joy

Linda Hickok

Looking for Love

– Posted in: Dating

Living with joy starts from within. Each of us is enough. Our lives have value with or without life partners. To a large extent, you get to choose how you wish to live. Some of us wish to live with spouses, life partners, etc. And if we don’t have them, how do we find them? [...]

Put Your Money Where Your Joy Is

– Posted in: joyful giving

I derive great pleasure from charitable giving. Knowing that my relatively modest gifts make a difference in other people’s lives is gratifying. There are thousands and thousands of charities needing support. It’s just a matter of finding one that speaks to your heart. My heart is drawn to sponsoring children in need. Through organizations such [...]

Lessons Learned This Year

– Posted in: Lessons learned

A new year is almost upon us. Time to start making those New Year’s Resolutions … right? Well, maybe not so fast. Consider first making a list of “Lessons Learned This Year.” Think about what you have learned this year… about yourself – maybe previously unrecognized strengths or talents … about your dreams … about [...]

The Things We Love

– Posted in: Connect to Joy

What are the things that you love? Here are some photos of what I love: I love my family and friends. I love nature, especially the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes area. I love sharing – this photo was taken in Haiti with Eduardo whom we are helping with his educational expenses. I love gardening. I love [...]

The Bug Test

– Posted in: Self-Worth

“I’d rather eat a bug!” So someone exclaimed to me recently. It got me thinking. What does this phrase really mean? In some parts of the world, there are folks who enjoy eating toasted or deep fried insects. It’s an excellent source of protein. My fairly finicky daughter surprised me by eating 4 deep fried [...]

Legacy of The First Lady

– Posted in: Lessons learned

Lately there’s been talk about certain presidential candidates and their lack of First Ladies (aka wives). I find this both amusing and sad. It’s amusing because this lack of a wife has no relevance to the qualifications for performing effectively as the Leader of the Free World. It’s sad because of the narrow mindset that expects [...]

All Quiet

– Posted in: Uncategorized

This morning I sat by the lake. It’s been a busy first weekend in May opening up the cottage for another summer season.     Soon tall the cottages in the neighborhood will be full of exuberant noise. Splashing. Laughter. Chugging of boat motors. Barking – some of it from dogs. But now in the [...]

Praise for the Morning

– Posted in: Connect to Joy

  Sometimes when I see a beautiful sunrise, I recall the words to “Morning Has Broken”. Morning has broken, Like the first morning, Blackbird has spoken Like the first bird; Praise for the singing, Praise for the morning, Praise for them springing Fresh from the Word. (first verse) I first heard this song sung by [...]