L.I.V.E. Life Inspired Views for Everyday
This weekly podcast offers people on the journey of life, stories, insights, encouragement for better living.
Episodes
246 episodes
Welcome to My Home
The two people in my world who mentored me on entertaining were my mother and my dear, dear friend, Pøtt Van Auken. As a pastor's wife from the 1950's-1990's, my mom often hosted open houses for the congregations to come to the parsonage. She a...
Which Is It?
The book, What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada is an excellent narrative on tackling a problem as well as looking at problems with a new perspective. The story describes a little boy who discovers he has a problem. He doe...
Taking a Step Back
There's an old Yiddish folk tale about a man named Jacob who lived in a small farmhouse with his wife, children, and mother-in-law. It often became terribly loud and chaotic. Jacob couldn't stand it anymore and went to the rabbi in the village ...
Life's Trainings
When I was in high school, I worked at a pizza place called Ted's Pizza Palace in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The owner, Ted Hasapes, was from Greece. He always had advice on how to live life for us teenagers who worked for him. It was my first job o...
Our Calling Card
Over the years, I have had a plethora of business or "calling cards." Several had just my business information. Some had my picture on it. The first one I had we made after I became a storyteller. It had a picture of a part of an arm with a han...
Seasons
In 1965, a singing group called, The Byrds, made an international hit singing the song, To Everything There is a Season, also known as, Turn, Turn, Turn, written by Pete Seeger. The song talks abou...
Lessons from Giraffes
How often have you heard someone say, "If I hadn't gone through that, I would never have found..." It's in retrospect of having experienced a difficult or challenging time that we learn meaningful lessons in life, discoveries about ourselves, a...
Who Surrounds Us?
There is a story I have told for years entitled, James to the Rescue, by Janet Noonan and Jacquelyn Calvert. It's about a queen who discovers a lovely ladybug in her garden. She instructs her servant, James, to go and fin...
Say Yes
Do you ever look at all the things in your life that would never have happened if you had not said yes? Maybe it's something big like marriage, starting a family, starting a certain career, or taking a job. Or maybe it's small like choosing a h...
Identity
Studies have found that “knowing who you are” helps develop an internal sense of self-esteem; strong commitment to doing well in school, work, or play; a strong sense of purpose in life; confidence in one’s ability to make a difference. These a...
Loneliness
Dr. Mary Pipher, wrote in her book, The Shelter of Each Other, "Real communities give people a sense that they are all in this place together. People who live together have something that is fragile and easily destroyed by a lack of ci...
Comfort Zones
In one of my journals, I have a little conversation with someone on a ledge of some kind and a voice below that ledge. The one below calls up, "Jump." The reply, "I'm afraid." The voice below says, "Just jump." The reply, "What if I fall?" The ...
Do You Lie?
Years ago, I was buying a new phone. It was one of those portable landline phones. The young person checking me out told me that it had a warranty, but it didn't include the battery. Then he added, "But you could just bring it in and tell us it...
A Soothing Power
Today's podcast suggests we try using creativity in combating times of anxiousness or worry. If you don't see yourself as a creative person, that's ok, because as a tool, creativity is simply doing something you enjoy. I found some quotes in&nb...
Living Possibility
When I ask a question, ask for permission, suggest an idea, etc., I love it when people respond with, "Possibly," or "That's a possibility." Those kinds of responses allow me to dance on the edge of hope. How do we embrace the concept of possib...
Attuning and Asking
I love questions. I love asking questions, because you so often find something new that you did not know. Just think of the rabbit holes of thought you have heard when people start asking and responding to interesting questions. I have a book o...
Reminders
Several years ago, my husband, Donnie, was gifted a family heirloom, a beautiful wall clock made in Germany and most likely dating back to the early 1900s. It was brought to America by his great-grandfather, Erhardt Kaiser. The clock chimes on ...
The Benefit of the Doubt
Reflect for a moment and try to remember a time when someone gave you the benefit of the doubt. Trusted you. Can you remember how that act of grace lifted your spirits and reminded you that there truly is goodness in the world? Because our news...
Things that Shape Us
I have often said that when I die and you read my many journals, you will find that they are filled mostly with quotes that I love. However, reading those many quotes, you will learn to know who I am because the quotes I have chosen reflect my ...
Words
Alfred Mosher Butts invented the game of Scrabble in 1938. He was an unemployed architect and decided to invent a game that could distract people from the bleak lives they were living during the Great Depression. Butts wanted to create a game t...
Help for Obstacles on Our Path
Many years ago, I was with some colleagues in a van driving to summer school. The weather was ominous. The clouds were turning darker and greener. The wind suddenly came up and out my window, it was as if the flying dirt met the darkness of the...
Living the Lighthouse Theory
Lighthouses. They are beginning to take up residence in my mind in many ways. The metaphors contrived from their purpose and from the experiences around them intrigue me more and more. This week, I found this brilliant analogy: “The Lighthouse ...
Odd Velvet
I will never forget two meaningful compliments given to me many years ago. The first was from a little boy I worked with as a school counselor. Zach struggled with social cues and other challenges in his life. One day we were walking down the h...