“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; … Continue reading Grad Girl Diaries #9: Weakness = Strength

Regret, it’s a funny thing........ and we all have regrets.  I remember the season like it was yesterday.  It was a week and a half before spring furniture market; my busiest time at work, a week before an overnight trip to Washington DC with my youngest son and a week since I had to make … Continue reading The 15 Minutes that I will forever regret

Past Claire, One day when you’re 17, you’re going to wake up and decide to become a marriage and family therapist. It’s not really going to make sense, and when people ask you why, the only thing you’re going to say is “because I love marriage”. People will laugh at that. You will even laugh, … Continue reading Letter To My Past Self

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the first-ever HEART CAMP workshop led by Jamie Tworkowski (founder of To Write Love on Her Arms, an organization that spreads awareness about mental health). And though I could write a million words about the workshops, the people, the experience, there's one thing that has stood out in … Continue reading Half Of My Heart

Anyone who knows me well has probably heard me talk about one of my favorite authors, who I also admire and look up to greatly, Bob Goff. I'm convinced we are meant to be friends, and even though he never emailed me back a few years ago, he has liked several of my tweets since … Continue reading Love Does: A Farewell to 2017

Thanksgiving………. a time when we stop and reflect on the things for which we are thankful.   Being ‘thankful’ is something I think we all take for granted.  Each year at this time we focus on the things we have been blessed with in our daily lives. Thanksgiving means something very different to me this year.  … Continue reading Thanksgiving… A time for forgiveness!

"Don't make a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion." This quote came up on my news feed the other day, and it made me have one of those "Oh, this hurts because it's true" moments. I've rarely been one to speak before I think. Some may actually tell you I think too much, and … Continue reading Grad Girl Diaries #8: Temporary Emotion, Permanent Decision