Category Archives: relationships

Dealing with Loss At Christmas

Posted on December 28, 2012 by richrockwood

Experience as a Flashlight:  The woman was beside herself with grief.  It was only a few months since her husband had died.  She was not looking forward to Christmas.  How could she deal with that loss at Christmas when the … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciation, Christmas, Courage, Creativity, Fear, Feelings, Focus, Grief, Health, Holidays, Letting Go, Life, love, Memory, relationships, Suffering, Thankfulness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Always Show the People You Love How You Feel

Posted on December 19, 2012 by richrockwood

Living in the Past:  Ever since I can remember, I worried that if I ever found someone who loved me they would be taken away.  That was my biggest fear.  I had seen it in movies.  I experienced it on … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Fear, Feelings, Forgiveness, love, relationships | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Don’t Change a Thing for Me

Posted on December 14, 2012 by richrockwood

Experience as a Flashlight:  When my wife Inga died, I had lots of memories of her. One of the endearing things about her was she loved singing “My Funny Valentine” for anyone who would listen on her birthday.  Her birthday … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance, Adaptability, Appreciation, Feelings, Happiness, love, Perspective, relationships, Thankfulness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

To Grandmother’s House We Go

Posted on December 12, 2012 by richrockwood

Living in the Past:  Back when I was growing up, it was always a treat to go to grandmother’s house.  One of my earliest memories of her is being in a park somewhere together feeding bread crumbs to ducks.  It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Contentment, Courage, Enjoyment, Famous People, Feelings, Focus, Gifts, Grand children, Grandmothers, Grandparents, Happiness, Letting Go, Life, love, Memory, Old Age, Perspective, relationships, Thankfulness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Loving that Polka-Dotted Tie

Posted on December 3, 2012 by richrockwood

  Lessons I Have Learned:  As I mature, I have noticed my priorities changing from gadgets to relationships.  When I was very young, at this time of year, my focus was on what I was going to get for Christmas.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Adaptability, Aging, Children, Contentment, Enjoyment, Feelings, Grand children, Happiness, Laughter, Life, love, Materialism, Old Age, Peace, Perspective, Priorities, relationships, Retirement, Thankfulness, Wisdom, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

All That Gray Hair

Posted on November 30, 2012 by richrockwood

Experience as a Flashlight: I stared at the man in the motel lobby who was talking to some other people.  He was balding and his face had moles, lines, and bumps.  I saw him however as a young man.  Underneath … Continue reading →

Posted in End of the World, Enjoyment, Famous People, Feelings, Gambling, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Laughter, Legal, Money, Neatness, Nuclear Holocaust, Pleasure, relationships, Sex, Soldier, Tasks, Uncategorized, Weather, Wisdom | 1 Comment

In the Military Service for the Holidays

Posted on November 28, 2012 by richrockwood

Living in the Past:  As I’ve already shared, I was in the US Army during the 1960’s.  One of the things I wondered about when I was away from home was whether the folks back home knew what I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Country, Creativity, Faithfulness, Feelings, Focus, Military, Morale, Patriotism, Perspective, Politics, relationships, Service, Soldier, Volunteerism, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Secrets of Thankfulness

Posted on November 26, 2012 by richrockwood

Lessons I Have Learned:  A number of years ago, I either heard or came upon this thought that I could expand giving thanks beyond one Thursday a year to all year long.   This idea led me to the idea that … Continue reading →

Posted in Accomplishment, Contentment, Enjoyment, Feelings, Focus, Happiness, Life, Perspective, Pleasure, Priorities, Quiet Time, relationships, Thankfulness, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Waiting for Weight Loss

Posted on November 14, 2012 by richrockwood

Experience as a Flashlight: For the last few decades I have had trouble getting down to my “goal weight.”  I was a regular at Weight Watchers Meetings for a few years but I found there were always more calories going … Continue reading →

Posted in Accomplishment, Adaptability, Aging, Bondage, Contentment, diet, Enjoyment, Feelings, Focus, Food, Happiness, Health, Life, Medical, Old Age, Perfectionism, Perseverance, Perspective, Physical Exams, Priorities, relationships, Religion, Stress, weight loss, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Can’t Wait ‘Till I Retire

Posted on November 2, 2012 by richrockwood

EXPERIENCE AS A FLASHLIGHT:  When I was in my 30’s and my life was in high gear I couldn’t wait until I could retire.  It seemed my life was so busy I never had the time to enjoy things.  I … Continue reading →

Posted in Adaptability, Aging, Contentment, Enjoyment, Focus, Fun, Happiness, Laughter, Life, Money, Nature, Old Age, Pleasure, relationships, Retirement, Stress, Volunteerism, Wisdom, Work, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment