"From the Bay to the Blue Ridge"
By Lori Welch Brown The Gift of Letting Go My brothers and I laid our beloved father to rest on December 19, 2020. It was a lovely service complete with military honors and a chorus of Amazing Grace. When he died on December 10 from complications due to COVID-19, he was 19 days shy […]
Open Space By Lori Welch Brown A Holiday to Remember If Only for the Lesson in Gratitude I have to admit, I’ve experienced some pretty crappy holidays. Ghosts of Christmas’ past still haunt me. Too many years to count as a single adult vanquished to the kiddie table. The year Mom was sick, and I […]
By Lori Welch Brown Changes in Gratitude & Changes in Attitude… …Nothing remains quite the same. Gratitude has been part of my daily practice for quite some time, but this year required adding a whole new level. My list of things to be grateful for changed from things like family, friends, and wellness to medical […]
By Lori Welch Brown Stepping Out of the Twilight Zone It’s officially against the law to write about anything other than COVID, fear, and angst. I jest, but I mean what else is there? The election? No thank you. Oregon fires? Scary. RBG’s death? Depressing. Is Beth Dutton coming back next season on Yellowstone? Mind […]
By Lori Welch Brown The Long and Winding Road to September I can’t wait for 2020 to be in our rearview mirrors, but I’m almost afraid of what lurks behind Door #2021. This year has been a wild and crazy ride to our own backyards, testing facilities, Zoom meetings, etc. Personally, it seems like the […]
By Lori Welch Brown Be a Joy Seeker, Not a Worry Warrior August has turned from the dog days of summer—carefree days spent floating on the lake or dipping your toes in the sand—to the anxious days of a pandemic that won’t leave us alone, political division, civil unrest, etc. To some, it feels like […]
By Lori Welch Brown The Silver Linings of Summer Like many of you, this is definitely not the July I ordered, but somehow the one I did seems frivolous. It’s hard to concentrate on which tankini to order when the world feels heavy, scary, and perhaps a little lonely. Like you, I have friends and […]
By Lori Welch Brown 2020: Year of the Pandemic? For Me, It’s the Year of Dad Pandemic, pandemic, pandemic. I am tired of all the attention you are getting. I’d say you are distracting us from what is really important, but in some sort of messed up way, perhaps you have helped us do just […]
By Lori Welch Brown Chasing Happiness aka Not Freaking the F Out Mom—I sure do miss you. I can’t believe it’s been 14 years since I was able to hug you or pick up the phone to talk. And, trust me, I have wanted to talk to you so badly. This past year has been […]
By Lori Welch Brown Live Your Beach Life In 2018, XXL and I were able to realize our dream of purchasing a second home near the ocean. We love it. I mean, what’s not to love about being 250 steps from waves breaking on the sand? We are both native Alexandrians. We love our city—especially […]
