Reflections | Deliberate Legacies

This Is Great, But&#...

Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold. – Maurice Selter We love food in the Benzakein household. Eli will often come and ask me what healthy food he can eat in order to have the junk food that he really wants. There have been times...

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August 3rd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

We Are Family...

During difficult times in life, who has supported you, or have you supported? [I tried to write this blog entry last night, but my 4 month old daughter, Brenna, had other ideas – namely that she would stay up way, way past her bedtime and then only sleep so long as I held her and...

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July 22nd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Bend or Break?...

Whatever is flexible and flowing will tend to grow; whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die. – Tao Te Chang, Lao Tsu’s teachings In my teens, I was quite into country music. I’d listen and sing along for hours after school.. practicing for the day when I’d...

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June 29th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Tadpoles, Mystery Ra...

Summer officially began June 21. Tell us the story of a favorite summertime memory! Growing up, we didn’t take family vacations. We didn’t share family meals. We weren’t reminded to brush our teeth before bed or prompted to say our prayers. We walked on eggshells…...

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June 23rd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Living a Meaningful ...

The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. –William James, philosopher and psychologist “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question we’ve all been asked at least a time or two… often as children, sometimes as...

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June 6th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

5 Traits of Shiney, ...

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. -Abraham Lincoln I once had a conversation with a friend of mine who said to me, “With all that you’ve seen and experienced, how is it that you are such a happy person?” My response, “I choose...

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May 4th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

The Buck Starts and ...

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm. -Swedish proverb Asking for help is not one of my stronger character traits. Call it stubborn. Call it independent. Whatever it is, I’ve got it in spades… usually. Early in my life, I came to...

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April 18th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Giving It Your All...

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could… - Ralph Waldo Emerson Confession: I am a cookbook junkie. I have 50+ cookbooks and whenever I am at a book store, Sam’s Club, or garage sale, I always linger over the cookbooks that are either on display...

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March 26th, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

The Unexpected Kindn...

Growing up, nothing was ever for free… and that included kindness. If an adult was being kind to me, one could be certain that there was some sort of price attached to that kindness… something would be required, expected, demanded of me. I may not have known what or when,...

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February 22nd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Are You Going or Gro...

Once again, 4 year olds are amazing. So yesterday, my adorable son, Eli, asks me, “Do bad guys have to stay bad guys?” Me, a firm believer in a person’s ability to change their stars, replied, “Nope. It’s never too late to become a good guy.” We spent some time...

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February 3rd, 2010
Posted by J Benzakein

Surrounding Yourself...

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you, too, can become great. - Mark Twain, writer and satirist I once read an interview with a life coach where they said that it was easy to recognize...

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November 14th, 2009
Posted by J Benzakein