Brainstorm

Bringing Comfort by Changing Your Perspective & Outlook on Life. Experienced Writer,Educator,Hospice Professional & Counselor.British Wife,Mom/Mum & Caregiver.

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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Family Home Destroyed By Falling Tree - Do Worries Like These Keep You Up at Night?

Ever since we moved into our house, this worry has kept me up at night. With every raging storm, I have been convinced that the whining...

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

4 Powerful Words That Show You Really Care

Have you been wondering if a friend is ok because he seems out of sorts? Have you realized you haven't heard from your cousin for we...

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

A Typhoon's Deadly Toll: How You Can Go From Feeling Helpless to Helpful In This One Simple Step

Aida , our former housekeeper, was born in the Philippines. Her sisters and brothers are directly affected by the super-typhoon that hit ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

On Friendship, Death and Bear Hugs

Due to a sick son and work-away husband, I have spent a lot of time at home over the last few days and have been able to catch up on 7 ep...

Monday, October 28, 2013

Moving Home? 10 Ways to Calm Your Fears And Feel Positive.

A friend from abroad is packing up her home and sent me this message on my Facebook page today.......(Including the icons!) ...

Monday, October 21, 2013

One Great Fitness App, When It's Hard to Get Moving

Dancing in the window ‪ If you pass my house at certain times of day you may catch a glimpse of a small blonde person, dan...

Monday, October 14, 2013

How to Succeed Despite the Naysayers.

Do you have a naysaying voice in your head? A little devil that jumps on your shoulder and whispers in your ear..... "That'...

Monday, October 7, 2013

What a 12 Year Old Knows About Driving in The Rain

A number of the male species in my family are organizationally challenged. They have been known to forget to put their laundry in the dirt...

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Raise Your Happiness Barometer With This One Scientifically Proven Action

When we moved to Washington D C in August 2001, we rented a house and inherited a party. The home owners had hosted this event every...

Monday, September 23, 2013

Getting Out of Bed. 5 Ideas to Help When It's Hard to Face The Day.

Every day begins with an act of courage and hope: getting out of bed . ~Mason Cooley When I first read this quote it made me laugh. ...

Monday, September 16, 2013

Comforting Without Words:The Power of Touch

In 1998 when my father was dying in a hospital in London, we all tiptoed round him, sat close, but not too close and observed him drifting...

Monday, September 9, 2013

Apologizing: Valuing Your Relationship More Than Your Ego

As the Jewish season of repentence reaches a crescendo and apologizing is high on the to-do list, I have been thinking a lot about wh...

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

My Pantry Exposed!:What Clearing the Clutter Does for Your Mind & Spirit.

When we came home from our annual week at the beach I had a whole boxful of half eaten foods to return to my pantry. Open packets of crack...

Monday, August 26, 2013

Words of Wisdom For Our College Bound Children (and Kindergardeners)

My fingers are running over the computer keys, wondering where to begin. I can hear Aron our 18 year old and Jacob our 12 year old mur...

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Our Family's Journey With Trigeminal Neuralgia - What YOU Need to Know.

Thank you Rebecca Thorpe. Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic illness my husband (J) was diagnosed with 6 years ago. Here...

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

6 Unexpected Lessons For Life, Learned From Drying Hydrangeas!

Hydrangeas in my garden in June I am trying to dry hydrangeas. (Bear with me! I promise to move on from flower drying.) I am on my t...

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

How to Meditate When You Can't Sit Still: The Ultimate Guide

Rachel Ducker Wire Sculpture Today, I inadvertently came up with a way to relax my brain and release myself from all my ...

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The Guide to Thriving Beyond the Crises in your Life: 4 Effective Steps

It's not just tea that revives you A s a spouse, parent and caregiver I have been on hyper-alert for 5 years. Why? ...

Monday, July 22, 2013

Why The Duchess of Cambridge (Kate) Would Find Treatment Diaries Comforting.

How many of you keep or have in the past, kept a private written record of your thoughts and feelings? How many of you would feel comfo...

Sunday, July 14, 2013

5 Rewarding Reasons to Take a Risk-Why It's Worth Getting Your Feet Wet.

Here's a secret you didn't know about me. I really don't like walking barefoot. I know some of you hate wearing shoes but I d...

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Moving from Hurt to Healing: How 1 Step Back Can Take You 2 Steps Forward

The Lily we planted has bloomed! This morning, like every morning as I went out to the car in my driveway, I glanced at the lily. Aida a...

Monday, July 1, 2013

The Secret to Anger Management

.....without using it's turn signal Have you ever tried to look on the bright side of a challenging situation, only to have ...

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

How Amazon.com is Bringing Me Comfort!

Amazon.com is having a party! Why? Because they know I am SO behind in packing my 12 year old for 4 weeks of sleep away camp th...

Monday, June 10, 2013

Sunshine and Rain-How To Live With Both.

Glancing out the window as I write, I notice the sun is glinting on the rain soaked leaves. It has been that kind of day: torrential rain ...

Monday, June 3, 2013

6 Ways to Build Certainty in an Uncertain World.

Last week I talked about how routine brings comfort. Routines are regular procedures we create to give us structure and rhythm in our ...

Monday, May 27, 2013

Why Routine Brings Comfort

We had a particularly challenging week, a few years ago when my husband's parents were staying with us. My mother-in-law knocked o...

Monday, May 20, 2013

How to Win The Productive Aging Award.

A few weeks ago I finally had to admit defeat and buy a pair of reading glasses. I did not plan to celebrate this milestone, thinking of i...

Monday, May 13, 2013

When There's Trouble Brewing... Do This.

As a Brit, a cup of tea, evokes many things: my childhood, my Dad and maternal grandmother, celebration, commiseration and friendship. But...

Monday, May 6, 2013

5 Ways to Bring Comfort in Times of Illness or Distress.

Aida We all want to help people in times of illness or distress. Often it is very difficult to know WHAT to do in these situati...

Monday, April 29, 2013

The Astonishing Truth About Your Potential

As my boys have grown up, they have often plied me with pleading questions such as, "Can I have an iphone?" Fol...

Monday, April 22, 2013

WIN A BOOK and SHARE YOUR LOVE FOR READING (Competition ends April 26)

Do you love books and want to find a way of sharing that passion with others, through giving them a work of fiction for FREE? ...

Monday, April 15, 2013

How To Keep Relationships Real in a Virtual World

Last week I spoke about the power and comfort of old friends . This week I want to introduce you to Marin (Miriam), a new friend. We f...

Monday, April 8, 2013

Jennifer Aniston's Guide to Friendship: Keep It Old

You will not be surprised to discover, if you are a regular reader of my blog or know my family , that whilst we were on vacation, someo...

Sunday, March 24, 2013

I Wouldn't Choose This Lens, But It Has Sharpened The Image. Here's Why.

We are vacationing in Israel. Today we visited Machane Yehudah, the food market in Jerusalem. If you've ever stepped inside you might...

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Why We Need to Stop to Admire the View.

( Please note this was previously published on my blog, when it was just a month old in April 2012 and Jonny's health details relate t...

Monday, March 11, 2013

Her Majesty's School of Stress Management.

On my window sill in the kitchen stands The Queen. Grey haired, tiara in place, with a fixed smile day and night. You might be surprised t...

Monday, March 4, 2013

10 Essential Thoughts to Help Us Understand How to Help Children with Special Needs: Josh's Story - Part 2

The Rubin family Last week I posted part one of a talk by Nancy mother of Josh, a child with medical and emotional issues, and learnin...

Sunday, March 3, 2013

7 Ways to Help a Child Deal with a Parent Being Seriously Sick

My 12 year old son Jacob, has been inspired to start his own blog. This is a post he wrote for it, without help of any kind. He wan...

Monday, February 25, 2013

"Josh's Story"- A Mother's Brave Account of Her Son's Challenges, Growing Up with Special Needs

Josh on Vacation A few months ago I wrote a post called Do you feel that life's unfair? I...

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Breaking News: Why it's not all Black and White

This morning I watched a grey squirrel scamper, spreadeagled, headfirst down the thick magnolia tree trunk outside our dining room window....

Monday, February 11, 2013

Parent Alert: Your Mother was Right

It's a particularly grey, bleak London day here in Potomac Maryland. The dirty white sky and naked tree branches set off against it, l...

Monday, February 4, 2013

What a Crisis Can Teach Us About Celebrating.

About six years ago I was sitting at a red light muttering to myself. No, I did not need to be referred to an asylum. But I had been g...

Monday, January 28, 2013

A Note of Appreciation -The Ultimate Gift

My first morning of a new school year, in my first job as a qualified teacher, is a day I will never forget. As I was ...

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Rings of Comfort- Tokens For Remembering What's Important.

A few weeks before winter break I received an email from Cameron, my guest blogger this week. He had found my blog and identified with m...

Monday, January 14, 2013

Snow - How to Find a New Perspective on an Old Problem.

Snowy Elstree, UK by Sara E via FB I want to introduce you to my friend Jo who lives in England. Jo's husband is in his 70s and ha...

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