Tag Archives: friendship

Express yourself

LoveGram: I’m sorry?!

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Hello beautiful friend. 

Welcome to your Sunday audio LoveGram. 

Today I send you a road trip on a quiet highway. 

I send you a trombone you play for the fun of it. 

I send you lamplight in the cold and dark. 

***

Thank you for being here with me. I appreciate you! I celebrate your beautiful heart and your willingness to go deeper with your relationships. 

Last week, we talked about how to show up for people and truly let them know we are listening. 

In today’s LoveGram, we take a look at what happens when we have plans with someone, but we just don’t feel like it. How do we know when to keep our commitments and when to bail? 

Also, is there something more empowering and appreciative than saying “I’m sorry?” when we cancel?

We’re talking, as we often are, about how to love better — and this always includes how we love ourselves! 

(To listen to the audio, just click over to this page, scroll down, and hit “play” on the audio player.)

****

We all know what it is like to make plans with someone and then, when that day rolls around, suddenly we don’t feel like it. We may be tired or over-extended or simply feeling the need for solitude. How do we handle this? Do we keep our commitments or cancel? 

That question of “keep or cancel” plans is one thing we are exploring in today’s audio. 

The other thing we are looking at is how and when to say “I’m sorry.” 

***

Thank you for being here and being someone who cares deeply about loving yourself and others. 

Listen to your audio LoveGram now.  

I’m grateful to be on this journey with you. 

Thank you for who you are and for your wonderful heart! 

Seek celebration — even in dark corners,

xo Sherry

 

P.S. The song at the start of today’s audio LoveGram is “I’m Sorry” by Hot House Flowers. 

 

 

Express yourself

LoveGram: Show Up, Love!

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Hello beautiful friend.

Welcome to your Sunday audio LoveGram.

Today I send you a listening ear.

I send you a whispered, “yes.”

I send you a a kitten, a ball of yellow yarn, and some accordion music.

****

In today’s LoveGram, we are talking about how we can give people what they want most in the world: our full attention.

We’re talking about some simple things to do that will show you’re listening and that you care.

We’re talking, as we often are, about how to love better!

(To listen to the audio, just click over to this page, scroll down, and hit “play” on the audio player.)

***

You know me. I love to talk about creative gift giving. I love to offer ideas of fun things we can do and make and experience as gifts to others.

But you know what? The simplest and easiest gift is to BE PRESENT!!!

It sounds so obvious, but the question is, do we practice it?

We must! In earnest!

Because — the people in our lives deserve it!

***

[Spoiler Alert]

I know some of you love to listen to the audio, but others prefer to read. There’s always so much more in the audio— music, laughter, glitches, subtleties! But if you must rush, here are your CliffsNotes!

Simple Ways to Show Up and Show You Care:

  • Schedule time with people you love. (Or, stop what you are doing when they walk in the room!)
  • Clear your mind before meeting them or take a deep breath to center yourself when they show up.
  • Put your phone down — or away!
  • Greet them with joy.
  • Look in their eyes.
  • Don’t fiddle.
  • Don’t interrupt.
  • Nod or make agreeing kinds of sounds.
  • Say, “this is so interesting!” or “I love that!”
  • Say, “tell me more!”
  • Keep the conversation flowing in the direction they were going!

***

Thank you for being here and showing up because you care.

Listen to your audio LoveGram now.

Thank you for your generous heart and kind spirit.

I see you!

Thank you for wanting to love and be loved as best you can.

I’m grateful to be on this journey with you.

Seek celebration — even in dark corners,

xo Sherry

Gratitude

Happy World Gratitude Day!

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How are you, my friend?

Today is World Gratitude Day and YOU are on my mind. 

***

You are on my mind because I am so grateful that we are connected. 

I am grateful for your love, support, friendship, and caring. 

I am grateful that we share the values of family, friends, shared experiences, and simple moments of celebration. 

I am grateful that we share ideas for loving more fully and for coming back home to our hearts, day after day. 

Thank you for being in my life!

***

Wherever you are in the world, whatever you are doing when you are reading this, will you do me a favor? Will you pause to appreciate yourself for being a good-hearted, loving person? 

I mean it. 

Don’t rush past this request. Don’t shrug it off. 

I know you. I see who you are. I celebrate you. 

I want YOU to celebrate you, too!  

***

And, in honor of World Gratitude Day, would you do this one small thing? 

Please, reach out to someone whose heart you know and love. Let that person know they’ve impacted you. Tell them that you love having them in your life. Thank them. Plain and simple.  

Gratitude is here, right now.

Celebration is waiting for us. 

It is right here, in this moment, when we love who we are, the people around us, and the shape of our lives. 

I love you and am cheering you on, always. 

Thanks for who you are. Thanks for being by my side. 

Seek celebration — even in the dark corners,

xo Sherry 

 

Love Better

LoveGram: Be the One!

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Hello beautiful friend.

Welcome to your Sunday audio LoveGram.

This week, we’re looking at the willingness (and courage!) to be the person to take relationships to deeper, more meaningful levels.

My mentor, Brendon Burchard expresses this as “be the one to elevate your relationships.”

Why?

Because there is so much more connection, joy, and meaning that we can experience if we set the intention to get more real and to go deeper with people in our lives.

***

(To listen to the audio, just click over to this page, scroll down, and hit “play” on the audio player.)

***

A couple weeks ago I sent you a very short video talking about how the world has shifted since the pandemic and how we’ve all really “gotten it” in our bones that our relationships are the real priority in our lives.

If you missed that five-minute video, here it is!

It’s time to focus on our friends and family even more. 

It’s time to love more deeply. 

It’s time to bring more magic, sparkle, and novelty to our relationships so they feel even more meaningful than ever! 

***

In today’s audio, we talk about how to do this, especially at the start of a conversation or the beginning of a visit with someone.

Here are just a few idea for questions you can use to spark uplifting and connecting conversations with people:

  • What is something beautiful you saw or experienced today?
  • Did anything out of the ordinary happen this week?
  • Did something make you laugh today?
  • What did you love best about your week?
  • Did you read or watch anything that was thought-provoking?
  • What feels juicy in your life right now?
  • Did you have any interesting conversations that inspired you?
  • What would make you feel more supported by me?

***

Be the one to elevate the relationships in your life and make them deeper and more connected. Ask generative questions that spark love!

I know it might feel a little uncomfortable or vulnerable, but the payoff is worth it, I promise.

You will feel more intimacy and a closer bond. You will also be uplifted by some new ways of thinking!

And you know what? I bet the person you’re interacting with will also feel those uplifts!

***

Thank you for being my friend and confidante.

You are capable of great relationships. 

You can be the one to ignite them! 

I believe in you!

Seek celebration — even in dark corners,

xo Sherry

Kindness as a Gift, Love Better

Talk about it, okay?

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Hello!

You are on my mind because I just read an article in the New York Times about friendship. (This may be a paywall link, but don’t worry about it. It wasn’t so much the article itself, as it was simply the reminder about the importance of friendship!)

Now, more than ever, we need to connect to our friends. We need to take the time to reach out and see how they are doing. We need to share our feelings, ask for help, and try to find a few things to laugh about.

***

Today’s note is my own way of reaching out to you my friend, because we share common values. We care about our relationships. We want to express more love and gratitude. We strive to cultivate peace.

So, if you are reading this right now, please know that you are not alone in the world. No matter how heartbreaking or grief-filled this moment feels, we are all in it together.

***

Close your eyes for a moment after you read this paragraph and think about a friend in your life whom you haven’t connected with for a while. Then, please think of a very simple way you could reach out to that person.

It could be a call, a card, a text, an email.

Commit to actually doing it, okay?

We all need to remember that we are a part of a worldwide web of love. 

It really helped me just now to connect to you and to feel that connection to someone else who stands for LOVE.

***

I’ve been saying this like a broken record and here I am again: we must not let ourselves be flattened and overwhelmed by grief and fear.

We have to find ways to take care of ourselves and to hold our center. We have to take care of the people we love.

It’s imperative that we find our way to simple joys, to loving people in our life, to being grateful for what we have, so that we can fuel ourselves to ask the  world, “How can I help?”

Please reach out to someone who may be lonely, scared, heartsick, or ill. Reach out in the simplest way possible so it will happen. 

A small action will have way more impact than a big intention.

Do what you can. Right now.

You can do this.

You are strong. 

You can be strong for others. 

I love you and am cheering you on, always.

Thanks for who you are.

Seek celebration — even in the dark corners,

xo Sherry

 

P.S. If you missed the author panel I facilitated last Wednesday about feeling joy and awe in difficult times, you can watch it here.

Beauty + Joy, Express yourself, Laughter

LoveGram: Friendship Fun!

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Hello!

Today, I send you a solitary walk along a tree-lined path, your hands warm in colorful knitted gloves.

I send you memories of flickering candles and happy laughter at the dinner table, all the gold linen napkins strewn near plates, no one wanting to leave just yet.

I send you a New Year, just around the corner, waiting for your wishes, intentions, and dreams.

I send you the crackle of a warm fire, a book you can’t put down, and a mug of hot apple cider.

***

It’s the day after Christmas. Maybe you celebrate this holiday. Maybe you don’t. However, it is likely that wherever you are and whatever your religion, this is a season of family and friends.

This is a season of colorful lights in the darkness.

A season of hope.

Thank you for being by my side as we’ve been navigating this pandemic together. I started making these Sunday LoveGrams in March of 2020. And here we are, almost 2022. And, in the spirit of my favorite Ram Dass quote, we are still just walking each other home.

This is what we can do for each other, no matter what is happening around us. Show up. Take one another’s hand. Share the journey. Offer and receive support when the road gets bumpy. Hopefully find some laughter and magical moments along the way. 

***

Today’s LoveGram was recorded last weekend, when I was visiting my dear friend of 44 years, Lisa. (That’s her in the photo with me up above!)

44 years! That made me smile when I typed it.

You’ll get to meet Lisa when you listen to today’s audio.

She had just fixed us both a fun ‘n fancy holiday cocktail with peppermint liquor. In typical Lisa fashion, she put our drinks in festive glasses, served up some snacks in whimsical little bowls on a tray, and gave us each a happy reindeer napkin.

Lisa is all about small, artful touches that make people smile.

In a way, that’s what today’s audio LoveGram is about: how do we intentionally create little moments of joy for ourselves and others?

To hear the audio LoveGram, click on the link, then scroll down on the page it sends you to, you’ll see the audio player.

***

Thank you for being someone who shows up for yourself and for others and for the good things life offers.

Thank you for caring enough to create joy in all the ways you do.

I appreciate you.

I believe in you.

I trust your ability to find the goodness, even when things are hard.

I trust you to be the one to make your relationships extra special. (And, of course, that includes your relationship with YOU!)

***

As the pandemic and politics continue to swirl all around us, how can you be the bringer of smiles? How can you create joyful spaces and magical moments?

Ready to do this?

(I hope so!)

The world needs your sparkle.

Never underestimate the power of a single reindeer napkin — the smile it elicits could ripple out in a thousand unexpected ways!

Happy day-after Christmas, if you celebrate it. Happy Boxing Day if you celebrate it.

And, if YOU are in need of whimsy and joy, do it for yourself, just like Lisa says in this audio.

You matter! You count!

Seek celebration — even in dark corners,

xo Sherry

 

P.S. Your challenge this week is to make a little teeny magical moment for yourself or someone else. Light a candle for the table, use the “good” dishes for your afternoon snack, turn on a fun holiday song and start dancing. Add a tiny bit of novelty and festivity to an ordinary moment — and watch what happens.

 

 

Beauty + Joy, Laughter, Love Better

{Uplift Gifts} Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Days

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Hello Friend!

I hope you’ve been having a good week. I hope you’ve been treating yourself kindly. I hope you’ve shared some moments of spontaneity and laughter with people you love.

If you listened to my most recent Sunday Audio LoveGram, you know that I just spent a couple weeks in my hometown in Ohio, staying with my mom.

In that LoveGram, I talked about pausing to enjoy simple moments with people in our lives and remembering that our lives go by quickly.

Well, I certainly got to experience both of those things during a visit with my longtime, dear friend, Lisa. (Pictured above!)

Lisa and I have been friends since 1977, ever since her family moved into the house across the street from mine. That’s 44 years! (“Where has the time gone?! Can we possibly be this age?”)

Lisa’s mom still lives across the street from my own mom. And, since Lisa lives in Cleveland, just a couple hours away from our hometown, we make it a point to see one another every time I am in the area.

Of course, seeing my wonderful friend is always a huge gift. No matter what we do while together, we both get to cherish this decades-old friendship.

But, as you can see from those photos above, there is something that we’ve been doing over and again that adds some extra oomph to our time together. It is that zip-a-dee-dooh-dah element that marks our meetings in a way that makes them extra memorable.

You can probably guess what it is!

Ever since we’ve been teens, we’ve taken photos in which we are wearing our hair the same way, sporting the same clothes, or donning some funny accessory.

The very first time we did this was for that photo of us as cheerleaders. We deliberately braided our hair in the same way on opposite sides of our heads so we could mirror one another!

It’s silly, right?

Sure.

But you know what else it is?

Connecting.

Sometimes lighthearted, “unimportant” rituals we have with people we love can exactly the thing that deepens our relationship.

Think about this for yourself.

Do you have a friend with whom you always meet at the same coffee shop? (Pre-pandemic, that is.) Do you always bake snickerdoodles with your mom and you each pop one in your mouth while it’s still burning hot? (Ouch! But also, ha-ha!) Do you and your cousin always greet one another by both belting out Bruce Springsteen’s line, “Baby we were born to run!” at the same time?

Make no mistake, these moments are gifts.

That’s right. Some of the very best gifts we give one another are experiences that help us feel close and connected.

I’m pretty certain that laughing with someone we love over an ongoing joke or sharing silly adventures are things we will remember way more than most tangible gifts.

It’s important that we start understanding this at a deeper level.

The positive energy we bring and the joys we experience with people we love are long-lasting gifts. They are touchstones.

Pause right now. Think about the people you are closest to and consider if there are rituals or habits or we-always-do-this things that can be treasured like jewels on the necklace of your relationship.

The idea is to start holding these experiences as beautiful gifts. When you share these moments with someone, be sure to pause and “put a frame around them” by saying something that expresses your joy and appreciation.

If you don’t already have rituals or zip-a-dee-doo-dah memorable moments, consider creating them.

What can you repeatedly do with your friend or family member that brings a smile to your faces? It can as simple as what my friend Lisa and I do — taking selfies when we are at TJ Maxx and trying on furry vests, neon pink faux leather coats, or Americana scarves and purses.

Will you give it a try?

Let me know! Tell me what adds some zip to your friendship!

Seek celebration — even in dark corners,

xo Sherry

 

Beauty + Joy, Gratitude, Love Better, Unique Gifts

{Uplift Gifts} Twice the Fun

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If you listened to Sunday’s Audio LoveGram, you heard that I was celebrating receiving the trademark for the phrase, Love List. (Wheee!)

For those of you who are new, a Love List is simply a list of specific reasons why we love someone. It shows that person the impact they’ve had on our lives and why they matter.

In that audio, I told you that creating Love Lists is a practice of learning how to focus on love and how to train our brains to look for the positive in people. Love Lists have helped me with anxiety and depression. They are meditative. And, they obviously make great gifts to give.

But there’s one other thing they can be: an uplifting and connecting activity to do with someone!

The idea is to sit down with a friend and create a back-n-forth Love List for a mutual friend. It gives the Love List added energy and gives you extra motivation to create this gift.

I know this, because my friend Tricia and I created a Love List together while we were on retreat in Lake Tahoe recently. Her boyfriend owned the place we stayed in and I wanted a special way to let him know how much that meant to us to stay there.

So, I invited Tricia to create the Love List with me.

Click here to listen to the two-minute audio Tricia and I created for you while we were making this Love List together.

You can hear how happy we sound. And how surprised we both were at the impact on us.

We were also giddy with joy at the thought of hiding the Love List for her boyfriend to find next time he visited his place in Tahoe. Haha. We put it with his hiking and ski gear in a locked cupboard. (See photo up above!)

I want you to try this yourself because this is not only a beautiful gift to give, it will deepen your connection to your friend. That’s what happened for me and Trish!

Will you give it a try?

Let me know!

Seek celebration — even in dark corners,

xo Sherry

 

P.S. Don’t leave without listening to this two-minute audio Tricia and I created while making the Love List together. Give it a listen. I think it will inspire you and make you smile!

 

Express yourself, Uncategorized

LoveGram: You Deserve This

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Today I send you tall pines — steady, solid, and majestic.

I send you spaciousness. I send you breadth and depth and the whisperings of your sweet soul.

I send you a good friend with whom you can admit when you are lost. And who celebrates all of the many kinds of getting found again.

I send you fresh peaches, ripe and juicy.

I send you the two brides with wide smiles, ready for the rest of their beautiful lives to unfold.

I send you your own horizon, filled with new ways to love, new paths to explore, new songs, new flavors, new colors — all the possibilities that have yet to walk over the threshold with you.

Today, my audio LoveGram is about one of my favorite topics: finding time to listen to what matters most.  And someone to listen with and alongside.

You deserve this! 

I’m here in Lake Tahoe, CA with my friend Tricia. Tricia and I meet weekly by phone for what we call “powerful conversations,” about who we are, the work we do, our dreams, and our intentions.

Twice a year we take ourselves away to someplace beautiful for a few days of concentrated dream time.

You may remember “meeting” Trish when she was a special guest on previous LoveGrams. I’ll post those links below because they were great conversations about living with intention, making an honest stand, getting lost, and creating deeper friendships.

Trish is a dear friend who has been by my side for many ups and downs. She’s explored many of life’s big questions with me. She’s cried with me, laughed with me, and given me a hand many times (including yesterday!) when I got stuck in the mud.

She’s also my special guest today on the LoveGram!

Listen by clicking here!  Just scroll down once you land on that page until you see the audio player. Click play! Voila — our conversation!

 

How can you create more space for yourself to listen to what matters most?

How can you find time to notice the spiritual breadcrumbs life is constantly dropping for you?

Is there someone in your life whom you would like to make a deeper connection with — a friend who could also become a mastermind or dream partner — someone who helps you live into who you most want to be?

 

Thank you for listening, today.

Thank you for being you.

I encourage you to remind yourself often that you deserve a rich life, filled with connection and meaning.

Seek celebration —even in dark corners,

xo Sherry

 

P.S. This week’s challenge is to consider someone in your life with whom you might want to create a more intentional connection. Someone whom you can help connect to herself and her dreams/intentions —  and vice versa? Will you set up a call, an afternoon, or a weekend to spend with this friend and commit to an exploration of what’s calling to you in your life, who/how you want to be, and what support you need? You could plan to hike, cook, do art projects, read, play music — anything that invites you more deeply into your life.

P.P.S. Here’s the link to my Kind Over Matter article about Living with Intention. I talk about the importance of time away to reflect and dream.

P.P.P.S. Here are links to two previous LoveGrams with Tricia as my special guest. In June, 2020, we talked about Make an Honest Stand. In February, 2021, we talked about Getting Lost and Found. Even if you heard these when they were first posted, they are worth another listen!

 

Beauty + Joy, Gratitude, Kindness as a Gift

LoveGram: Lean on me

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Hello, my beautiful friend. Welcome to a new day!

Today, I send you the warmth of the yellow sun on your sweet face.

I send you that fluffy, gray neighborhood cat, who meows as a small plea for a friendly touch and pet.

I send you those ultra purple flowers on their spindly stems, how they look like they are waving to you as you pass. The way they nod their lovely heads in agreement with all that you are.

I send you a steaming bowl of oatmeal, with that spoonful of diced date which your former self from yesterday had cut as a morning gift.

I send you the way you smile, grateful for the way your yesterday self took care of you — not just the sweet chopped date, but the way she walked miles and drank many cups of water and how she ended the day with poetry so you would sleep deeply.

I send you this, my note, across however many miles, the connection of our spirits.

And most of all, today I send you someone whom you love. I send you that person’s face, their laugh, their warm hug.

 

Today, my LoveGram is about friendship. 

It is about the way we can intentionally love people and allow that love to seep into the corners of our being and lift us, like a fresh coat of paint or a spritz of lavender.

Listen on this page!  Just scroll down on this page until you see the audio player. Click play! Voila!

 

How can you practice loving better this week?

How can you allow your creativity and intuition to guide you to a new way of connection with someone?

How can you bring mindfulness to the joy you feel and to the love that has the capacity to keep growing and expanding? 

 

This week’s challenge is to think about someone in your life whom you will be seeing later this week or next and to do something to show them how wonderful they are. Give some thought in advance to a little sumpthin’ that will tell or show them that they matter to you.

What is happening in their life that you can appreciate or celebrate? Is there something they are struggling with that you can help lighten the load? Is there a memory that you can bring to life all over again for them — perhaps print a photo or play a song from that time?

Thank you for listening, today.

Thank you for being you.

Whether or not we’ve met in “real life,” I feel your support and connection.

 

Seek celebration — even in dark corners,

xo Sherry

 

P.S. Here’s the link I promised for the Kind Over Matter article on making a “Musical Memory Lane” gift for someone. Maybe for a Dad or Grad in your life? Maybe for a bride or groom? Maybe for someone “Just Because.”

P.P.S Here’s the link to the song I was playing, “Lean on Me,” by Bill Withers.

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