• All
  • Bereavement and End of Life
  • Family and Friends
  • Health
  • My Land and Home
  • Nature
  • Psychology and Mythology
  • Spirituality

After the Storm

“I lost big trees in the recent wind,” I tell the Finger Lakes Land Trust steward who answers my call. “A mature oak, a sugar maple, a big hickory, and a few red maples. Many ash are

A Shining Light Breaking Through the Storm

“But you’re bound to lose If you let the blues get you scared to feel And I feel like I’m just being born Like a shiny light breaking in a storm There are so many reasons why

Divine Mother of Breath

I groped around in the dark searching for my ringing cell phone. It had to be Vic who was resting downstairs. I turned on a low light and made my way to his side. “What do you

Sometimes You’re the Hammer, Sometimes You’re the Anvil

I hear my husband Vic’s favorite words when he felt pounded by life. “Sometimes you’re the hammer. Sometimes you’re the anvil.” This week I was the anvil being hammered by viral bronchitis, but I’m not alone and

Aging in Place–with Help

On January 7, thick wet snow fell for the first time this winter. I wasn’t worried. I knew my friend and helper Matt had his eye on the weather. When my husband Vic had lymphoma in 2006,

At Winter Solstice

A man I’ve known since he was a boy put up his yearly Holiday Star, high in an old Spruce tree near the road. I look forward to this every December. Thank you, Brett Beardslee. In the

Grandmother Moon

She glides across clear night skies, growing larger and brighter and fuller as I watch Her from my home on Earth.           While humans drop bombs, destroy forests, and pollute Earth’s water, She

Kindness: The Ultimate Gift

An elderly man stood inside the door of the library. He took a wobbly step toward me, nodded, smiled, and said something in a raspy voice I couldn’t hear. He’d been tall once, but was stooped, rounded,

Anxiety Wants To Be My Friend

Anxiety wants to be my friend. I know because she crawls into bed with me every night. I awaken before dawn and she’s still there, clutching my belly and rattling my mind. It helps a little when

The Great Pumpkin Contest

In 1981, my husband Vic organized a “friendly” competition. The Ball Diamond Rd. team of close friends who lived a few miles away went vine to pumpkin against our team, the Picnic Area Road team. There were

Subscribe

Subscribe to our blog and newsletter below:

Upcoming Events

 

    • No Events

Elaine Mansfield

In my twenties, I married, nurtured my growing family, practiced yoga and meditation, and became a vegetarian and organic gardener. In my thirties, I became a nutrition and preventive health care counselor. In my forties, I studied natural approaches to menopause. In my fifties, I transformed my body with strength training and became a Certified Personal Trainer. In my early sixties, I lectured and wrote about strength training, bone health, nutrition, and healthy aging. Now, in my mid sixties, I am dealing with the death of my husband while writing about love, loss, and continuing bonds.

You’ll find old articles, guides, and stories in the sections on Bereavement, Exercise, and Nutrition. You can keep up with the latest stories and announcements on my blog.

Elaine Mansfield’s memoir Leaning into Love: A Spiritual Journey through Grief is now available from Larson Publications.