Category Archives: Happiness

How I Will Be Making My New Year Resolutions of Love

If both Hanukkah and Christmas commemorate moments where we remember that God intervened in our lives– be it by keeping a single-day of oil burning for eight days as the Jews rededicated their temple or impregnating a young woman to … Continue reading

Posted in Happiness, Holidays, Personal Growth/Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Blessing of Open Hands

I wrote this post last year at Thanksgiving on my former blog and have had many requests for it to be re-posted. So here, GirlFriends, is my Thanksgiving prayer for you: Anyone who hangs out with me for long will … Continue reading

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An Ode to Girlfriends, by Danielle LaPorte

Note from Shasta: For Friendship Month this September I’ve invited some women to guest blog for me, adding their voices and experiences to our journey.  We launch our guest blogs with Danielle LaPorte of White Hot Truth (bio at the … Continue reading

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How Annoying People Can Grow Me

Call the Holy Spirit your still small voice, your intuition, your wisdom, your highest self, your conscience, your place of peace, or whatever it is that guides you, but don’t miss the profundity of this upcoming statement.  Marianne Williamson, in … Continue reading

Posted in Difficulty & Challenges, Fears, Happiness, Jealousy & Competition, Judging Others, Maintaining Friends, Making Friends, Our Mistakes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Are New Friends Worth the Energy Output Required?

I hear from a lot of women who feel defeated in their friendship search, or simply feel like it cannot be a priority in their lives right now.  Many mistakenly think that friendship is the thing to cut when their … Continue reading

Posted in Books & Movies, Fears, Happiness, Health, Making Friends, Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Holidays Don’t Always Feel Merry

Having served as a pastor in churches, I know full well that just because words like joy, peace, merry and happy are mentioned more in the month of December doesn’t make it more so. In fact, for many, the holiday … Continue reading

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One Girl Trying to Find Happiness Today…

I woke up this morning in a funk. The kind of blah mood that leaves me staring out windows and rolling my eyes at my to-do list. It’s complicated when well-intentioned people ask me “what’s wrong?” and I pause for … Continue reading

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Gratitude, Not Jealousy

Expressing gratitude, which all of November is always that for me, is a powerful practice when it comes to fostering new friendships. When we’re not grateful, we tend to be much more susceptible to jealousy, envy and competition. It doesn’t … Continue reading

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