Murphy Writes Blog

18

Family / Inspire

The hawk, my dad and me

July 28, 2016 would have been my dad’s 87th birthday. He has been gone for five years. He was my mentor and friend and of course I miss him like crazy. Grief is a...

4

Family / Inspire

Why the darkest Christmas was my brightest

Ketchum / Sun Valley Idaho (Image Source) It was Christmas 2009 andĀ as inĀ years previous, I traveled to the mountains to spend the holidays with my parents at their home in Ketchum, Idaho, Ā a small...

0

Pets

Adopting a pet for life

“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog the world will change forever.” ~ author unknown November 3 – 9 is NationalĀ Animal Shelter and Rescue Appreciation Week I...

0

Family / Inspire

Time, the most precious gift of all

As Motherā€™s Day approaches I am reminded how blessed I am to still have my vibrant, wise and beautiful mom with me. There are enough things in life that I may, or may not,...

0

Inspire

Do we need laws to fight discrimination? Yes we do

A friend posted a lovelyĀ statementĀ on her Facebook page last weekĀ which said, ā€œInstead of making more government laws, letā€™s raise a generation that doesnā€™t discriminate.ā€ Itā€™s a niceĀ idea, one that perhaps every generation has hoped...

2

Inspire / Pets

8 woofs of wisdom for the New Year

IĀ am not really one to make New Yearā€™s resolutions, because I think anytime is a good time to make changes, improvements and adjustments. But, during the holidays I spent a lot of free time...

2

Family / Pets

Giving your heart to a dog

When you give your heart to a dog, you’re setting yourself up to the inevitable fact that you are likely toĀ outlive them. Life with any pet means a lot of love and companionship, but...

0

Family / Inspire

Bullying: The hurt that keeps on giving

IĀ was bullied in school. Back then, I donā€™t think we called it bullying. In fact, I think most people in the 1960s and 70s tended to look at itĀ as ā€œKids will be kids.ā€ The...

0

Inspire / Work

Waiting for my inspiration to show up

“Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.” ~Ā Pyotr Tchaikovsky I think most writers looking for inspiration have thought, at one time or another, that there isĀ a mysterious power, a sixth...

0

Career Happiness / Inspire / Work

Patience, grasshopper…*

I used to work with a woman who’s favorite saying was,ā€œNever pray for patience because youā€™re just asking to be tested.ā€ The older I got, the more I understood what she meant, whichĀ was, the...

5

Family

A Father’s Day memory

(I wrote this three years ago today, on June 15, 2011. I reprint it here in honor of Fatherā€™s Day and my dad Pat.)   I opened his closet door and reached for the...

0

Family

The children are watching…

What I saw: The mom had a vise-like grip on her little boy’s arm as she dragged him over to the bench in front of the store. His little legs scrambled as fast as...

0

Authors / Career Happiness / Inspire / Work

Remembering Erma Bombeck

(Erma Bombeck, February 21, 1927 ā€“ April 22, 1996) Hiking into the hills with my dog Buddy gives me a chance to empty my mind of worries and focus more on things like who...

0

Inspire / Work

Rejecting rejection

I recently entered aĀ writing competitionĀ in which I thought I might have a fair chance of at least getting a small recognition.Ā Ā I didnā€™t actually think I would win the whole enchilada, but I hoped that...

2

Inspire

Our lives as a highlight reel

Have you ever sat at lunch and listened to a friend go on and on about all the wonderful things that are happening in her life? She just got back from a glorious trip...

0

Career Happiness / Inspire

Navigating the Road To Success

Ā  “The road to success is always under construction.” ~ Lily Tomlin Not too long ago I was invited to give a talk to the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) at Boise...

0

Inspire / Work

Finding your own voice

(Martha Graham) Ā ā€œThere is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression...

0

Inspire

Monday Musings and Motivation

Ā (Fantastic whimsical artwork and greeting cards by Pamela J. Zagarenski –Ā www.sacredbee.com) ā€œCourage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’ ~...

0

Inspire

The journey IS the destination

(photo credit) “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” ~Ā Greg AndersonĀ  The other day I was standing in a store line semi-eavesdropping...