Tag: nicole j phillips

I’ve held the belief for a while now that if you truly want to be happy and feel fulfilled, you have to get your mind off yourself and onto the needs of others.

I had to apologize to my neighbor for being so crabby to her and her grandchildren. We all went to a party at the community center, and I was off. Way off. Nothing was right. I should have been quarantined in a room by myself, but unfortunately, I wasn’t, and no one was safe from my venom.

I looked at it. I did it. I’m feeling quite brave, a little grossed out and sort of just, I don’t know… confused? Maybe sad? But not really, because it hasn’t quite hit me that this is my body we’re talking about and that I will not wake up tomorrow and realize this was all just a disturbing dream.

My guardian ... Read More

I remember Saul talking to the children earlier this month. It was about two weeks before my July 14 mastectomy. Our three kids were acting like kids sometimes act in the middle of summer: squirrely. They were fighting with each other and complaining about what was or wasn’t in the refrigerator and pretending they couldn’t hear me when I asked ... Read More

Isn’t it interesting how easily your day can be interrupted? You wake up in the morning with big plans, and your day is laid out perfectly. Sometimes the plans are fun and sometimes they are mundane, but inevitably, they are all susceptible to change, whether you like it or not.

For example, you may be having a great time with your ... Read More

Kindness is a big deal in our house. It’s cause for celebration. We don’t have confetti or banners or balloons that drop from the ceiling, but my kids know they’re going to get a big hug and see absolute joy in their momma’s face when I find out they’ve gone out of their way to be kind.

“No more homework! No more books! No more teachers’ dirty looks!” With apologies to all of my teacher friends out there, does anyone else remember singing this song on the last day of school?

There is a woman in California who may love kindness even more than I do.

I know, it’s shocking. Her name is Marla and I’m thinking of road-tripping to sunny California to see if it’s true. I may even be able to write off the trip off on my taxes next year under the heading “research.”

My friend Liz has been haunted for a year by the way she reacted to her husband’s random act of kindness last Christmas Eve. I’ll let her tell you about it:

“I love the holidays. I look forward to them every year. But inevitably, I am always amazed at the amount of stress I feel during this ‘joyous’ season. So much ... Read More

A woman I haven’t seen for 15 years just emailed me out of the blue.

Our mutual friend, Heather, died of cancer ... Read More