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Welcome to the New Joyful Life Blog

The Third Time’s the Charm

Which would you rather believe: "The third time's the charm" or "Three strikes and you're out"? I prefer to focus on possibilities of success, rather than failure. Still, it can be daunting to accept two failed marriages and then be willing to take on a third, hoping...

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My Daughter Died of Cancer

My 35-year-old daughter found out in early December 2017 that she had terminal cancer. She has a loving husband and two adorable stepchildren, now ages 10 and 12. She was given one year to live, WITH aggressive chemo. She started that on January 3, 2018. She beat the...

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A New House!

Getting a new house is exciting, fun, and, well, challenging! Even when a home is move-in ready, there is all the bustle of packing, unpacking and finding places to put familiar things in unfamiliar places. When the home is NOT move-in ready, that adds another...

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Marital Discrimination

Recently I sat in a small class and the instructor said something disturbing. She said that her organization would not have leaders teaching marriage who "weren't capable" of sustaining a successful marriage. Meaning no divorced people? Immediately red flags went up...

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Stuck in Oz

Dorothy was so eager to get home! All she could think about in Oz was getting home to Kansas. While she appreciated the friends and support she found in Oz, her heart was set only on going home. "There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place...

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Energy Work Rocks!!!

I Love Energy Work! Recently I hired an energy coach. Just this week she helped me to release issues that still triggered upset feelings from when I was fifteen: the year I crashed on my bike, was humiliated in front of my friends that I lived with when my family...

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Forgiving Father

My dad is seventy-six years old. He currently resides in a rehabilitation center, where he's been regaining strength in his arms and legs to hopefully live on his own again. This week the staff there informed us that living on his own is not a viable option for him,...

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MY CHILD HAS A TUMOR

Today my daughter gets a biopsy done on a tumor. How does a parent deal with something like this? It isn't the first time she had a tumor, either. A benign tumor in the same spot was successfully removed seven years ago. It peeled miraculously off the nerve to her...

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Following My Dreams

Do you ever have dreams? Day dreams? Night dreams? Do they ever come true? I want to share a few of my dreams with you. I'll start with night dreams, and then day dreams. Night Dreams that came true On March 8, 2014, I lived alone in an apartment, and woke from a...

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Volunteer!

Are you looking for a way to fit in, to feel needed, to make a difference? VOLUNTEER! One of the fastest ways to find like-minded friends is to join a cause you feel strongly about. Use your talents to make the world a better place, and find self respect and self...

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Find a Talent!

Are you searching for ways to feel better about yourself? One thing that builds self-esteem is to find a talent! Music is one of my talents. Beginning notes turned into beautiful melodies. I didn’t always enjoy practice, but enjoyed playing songs. Despite no money for...

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Healthy Food for Health

Do you connect eating healthy food with feeling good? Healthy eating habits make a big difference in how we feel about ourselves, physically and emotionally. Not only how we look, but mental and physical health. Have you ever pigged out on something you knew wasn't...

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How do you undo verbal child abuse?

Do you feel anxious or depressed? Were you verbally abused as a child? Do negative labels or false ideas about yourself or your abilities limit you? How do you undo verbal child abuse? Long after a person says cruel, untrue things, the effects can live on in our...

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Recovering from Emotional Child Abuse

Did you experience emotional child abuse when you were growing up? Do you carry scars from that which affect you today? Do you worry that you are not “normal” because of what you witnessed or experienced? As children, we often internalize guilt for what goes on around...

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