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New Beginnings

June! It is a time for summer vacations, weddings, graduations, and for endings and beginnings.

Some years ago, on my 50^th birthday, my husband gave me an exquisite cloisonne pendant of a dancing figure, arms up over her head in joy titled by the artist, “new beginnings”. My beloved knew exactly what I needed to lift my spirits as I reached that major milestone. I felt like my youth had ended and something else was taking its place…a new chapter in life.

With each year that passes, new milestones are reached, and new discoveries abound. Yet, to get to the new, very often we must release some of the old. When I left my job leading a wonderful hospice many years ago, I wasn’t certain about what was ahead for me. But once I began to have the time and grace for some “breathing space” to just relax, all manner of ideas and inspirations revealed themselves to me, and The Watershed Group was formed.

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Upon re-entry into Humanity

For the past two years, I have been more or less a hermit. At least in terms of my physical exposure to other human beings. This is not my nature. I am a card-carrying extrovert who is energized by being around other people and engaging in lively conversations!

When the world closed down in 2020 I was in a tailspin. My routine of traveling two or three times a month to visit clients coast to coast and attend meetings was stopped. My commute became from my kitchen to my home office vs. through the Atlanta Hartsfield airport.

Over the past 25 months, I have only occasionally eaten in open-air restaurants, I’ve only attended gatherings of less than four people (who have all been vaccinated) and my daily exposure to humanity has been on the Zoom screen of my computer.

Now the idea of traveling two or three times a month on an airplane and staying in a variety of Hampton Inn hotels, ordering the proverbial consultant’s...

Hi everyone,

Well, 2021 hasn't' started out quite as we hoped has it? Just last week I wrote to you these words:

"My commitment to 2021 is to focus on gratitude and compassion, of lifting people up to see their own beauty within and the beauty in others. The time is now for each of us to do our part to inspire another. Whether that is with the simplicity of a smile or a listening ear or a grand gesture of thanks, each action toward that end makes a difference. May 2021 be the year we all find relief and recover, together."

I stand by that commitment and as a way of offering some inspiration, I want to share with you a portion of the poem "The Rock Cries Out To You This Morning" by Maya Angelo. It comforted me this morning and I hope it will do the same for you.

"...Here, root yourselves beside me.

I am the tree planted by the river, Which will not be moved.

I, the rock, I the river, I the tree I am yours--your passages have been paid.

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need...

Do you know someone who is a caregiver?  I’ll bet every one of you either IS (or has been) a caregiver or knows one.  Whether you are taking care of a sick child or an elderly parent, a partner or a friend, caregiving is not for the faint of heart.  It is a hero’s job. 

Heroes are thought of as courageous souls with noble qualities, who stand in the face of danger and that is certainly true.  War heroes are immortalized in statues found all across the world.  But what of the Caregiver Hero, have you ever seen a statue of her?  The Caregiver Hero is someone who quietly day after day, month after month, year after year comforts, cares for, and nurtures a frail or infirmed loved one without accolades or honors, or financial gain and even sometimes at great financial peril to themselves.  

Caregivers have tremendous responsibilities, not only are they helping with the basic day to day living activities of feeding, bathing, and dressing...

Image Above: My Brother Michael Moore, 1950-1995

“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Courage isn’t just something we muster up when we’re called on to slay dragons or play the hero. Our courage is tasked every day, and how we answer its call (or don’t) is a powerful reflection of our character.

How much courage does it take to step outside your comfort zone and change the way you think about something? How much courage is required to tell your boss or a co-worker that you disagree with the way they handled a situation? When was the last time you had a courageous conversation with someone? When was the last time you had the courage to stop playing small and step into your full, brilliant self? These are the real dragons; self-doubt, habit, and fear of the unknown.

The challenges we face come calling without much notice, and the choices we’re asked to make on the fly and in the moment...