Author: Anne Dennish

“What Happened to Us?”

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I’m 64 years old and after the tragedies of yesterday I sat here and wondered “when did this world change so much?” Where did all of this judgement and hatred come from? When did the world split apart into different teams? When did we lose compassion and empathy for our fellow human beings?

On September 11th, 2001, all of our differences were put aside and we all stood together. Neighbors met in the street to console one another, children stood on their streets holding up the flag and signs that said “honk for America.” On that day there was no race, color, religion or political differences. No one cared what your job was, or your financial status or what you believed in. We all stood together as one, consoling one another and standing in love, kindness and compassion for each other and for a world that was terrorized on that day.

What happened to that? What has happened to the people of this world? Did anyone deserve to die on 9/11? No, so why did someone deserve to die yesterday at the hands of someone else, or why does anyone deserve to die at all by someone else?

There is no one person or particular situation that changed this country or the people in it. WE are in control of the way we act and react. We have a choice to sit in judgement and spread hate to the people whose beliefs we don’t agree with OR we can choose to accept that we’re all different and that it’s not our job to judge someone just because they don’t believe what we do. 

I believe that the problem is that we don’t hold OURSELVES accountable. We blame. We blame whoever and whatever we can. You need to hold YOURSELF accountable for what you put out into this world. Look in the mirror and ask yourself: “Am I trying to make this world and country a better place or is my judgment of others clouded by anger, fear and hatred?” 

Is it so hard to accept that we’re all different? Is it so hard to let others be different? Or is it easier to judge and hate? In my 64 years I have never seen judgement or hate change anything. I have been witness many times to what love, compassion, empathy and acceptance can change and I’ve seen it change things for the good.

We, as a people, can move mountains and achieve greatness but it begins with each one of us. 

Today is a day to pray for all of us and decide that it’s time for change. Today is a day to remember what happened on this day 24 years ago and to remember how healing it was when we all stood together as one.

Let today be the ending of hatred and judgement and the beginning of acceptance, compassion and changing the world “together.”

Wishing you love, light and peace,

~Anne Dennish~

“A Sunday Reminder”

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Here’s a little reminder for you on this Sunday:

“You are not too much. You are just enough for the right hearts.

So go ahead, take up space, speak your truth and continue to shine your light!”

The world needs your light.

And the world needs you.

Happy Sunday, my loves.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Friday’s Gift”

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It’s Friday and the world is finally slowly down…at least we’re hoping that it will! After all, it’s the weekend.

What do you need right now?

A long walk? A cup of steaming tea? A good book? Or maybe just the quiet hum of nothingness?

Weekends aren’t just for “to-do’s,” they’re for “to-be’s.”

They’re for sinking into your own rhythm, letting yourself exhale out all of the “shoulds” and leaning into what makes your soul whisper: “Ahhh…”

I hope your weekend brings you simple joy, gentle rest and whatever small things make your heart feel at home and at peace.

Cheers to Friday, to peace, to sunkissed days and moonlit nights.

And cheers to YOU!

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Tragedies That Remind Us What Matters”

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In the past two weeks alone, tragic floods have swept across places we love – devastating Central Texas, overwhelming Plainfield, New Jersey and turning everyday streets into waterscapes in New York City and beyond. Lives have been lost, homes destroyed and families left shaken.

In times like these it’s easy to feel helpless, not knowing what to do or how to help, but here’s what I’ve learned: we are a tapestry woven by shared stories of loss, grief and the necessity to reach out. 

These tragedies are more than weather events – they are reminders. Tragedy shouldn’t be the only reason that we step closer to one another. What if we gathered together and put our differences aside before the storms? What if kindness, empathy and understanding weren’t reserved for emergencies or tragedies, but simply became our everyday way of living?

Let today be a reminder to reach out to someone who lives alone, send a message of thanks to your community first responders or simply share your umbrella with someone who needs it without being asked. 

Every act of kindness matters, whether that’s a comforting meal, a check-in call, or donating to local relief.

Unity doesn’t and shouldn’t just begin in disaster. It grows every single time that we choose to show up. Let tragedy remind us of who we are. 

We are human beings who hurt together, heal together and hold each other always, not just when the skies open up.

Let’s build our bridges together as human beings now, not just in floods. 

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“The First of the Month”

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I love the first day of the month, no matter the month. It’s a feeling from childhood of the excitement of the first day of school, or how you felt on Christmas morning, not knowing what “Santa” brought you. The memories of those emotions always come back to me on the first of each month because there’s an excitement of not knowing what the month will bring. It’s as if we’re given another month to get things right or do them better than the month before. 

It’s a new month with no mistakes in it. It’s a new month to change things, to do things differently, or to do what it takes to live your best life.

Here’s to the new month of July and all that it can bring to you…to all of us.

Welcome this first day of July with open arms, a delicious iced coffee and a mindset that this month will be filled with all that you want!

Life is filled with endless possibilities and with each new month there’s a renewed sense of gratitude for receiving the gift of another month to live your best life.

And by the way, the iced coffee is optional! LOL!

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“A Moment of Grace”

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Today I decided to be gentle with myself. Not Lazy. Not unmotivated. Just gentle, because sometimes the strongest thing we can do is give ourselves permission to take a breath, to rest, to heal and to simply be. Life doesn’t always need a battle plan – sometimes it just needs a moment of grace.

What would happen if today, just for today, you softened your heart towards yourself?

Try it and let me know how you feel.

Today it made me feel calm, peaceful and filled with a hope that all things are possible.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Discernment Is A Gift”

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“Discernment” is a gift, not a crime. 

It’s not always easy to say “no” to someone you love or to call out behavior that hurts, but discernment isn’t judgement. It’s wisdom shaped by experience, boundaries and care for one’s own peace.

If someone hides things from you, excludes you or treats you like an afterthought, that’s NOT YOUR FAULT for noticing it. It’s their fault for denying transparency.

You’re not walking away because you want to hurt them. You’re stepping back because you deserve honesty and that’s not selfish. That is self-respect.

And don’t you deserve that?

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Choose YOU!”

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You’ve given so much to others – your time, your love, and your energy. But this week? Make a little promise to yourself: choose you! 

Choose what feels right. Choose rest when you’re tired, adventure when you’re brave and quiet when your soul needs to breathe. 

The world can wait, your spirit can’t.

Let this be the beginning of the week that you come home to yourself.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Writing Your Own Permission Slip”

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Sometimes you have to write yourself a “permission slip.” Remember those back in grade school? They were the ones your parents wrote for your teacher or school telling them that you had permission to leave early, or permission to attend a class trip. It seems so long ago yet as adults I think we need to write one to ourselves.

I’m home by myself this week. Eight days and seven nights of “alone” time and it’s been good for me. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel and my oldest and daughter-in-law came for a visit, so this time was much needed and well deserved.

And during this time, I realized something sacred: “I can.”

I can say no to what drains me.

I can say yes to what lights me up.

I can order takeout without guilt.

I can write when I feel called to.

I can nap if I need to.

I can breathe deeply.

I can be gentle with myself.

I can say: “This is my time.”

This is the freedom that we often forget that we’re allowed to take. Balance isn’t about doing it all, it’s about knowing when to shift, when to rest and when to rise.

Write yourself a permission slip. Remember that this is your time. Live a life of “I can!”

And enjoy every moment of it.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Finding Gratitude in the Mess”

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Gratitude isn’t just for the good days. It’s for the messy ones. It’s for the mornings when the coffee spills, the text you hoped for doesn’t come, or when your heart feels heavier than you had wanted it to.

It’s for the days when all you can say is, “At least I’m still here.”

Sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is whisper “thank you” in the middle of the storm.

Find one thing today, one tiny thing, and hold onto it like a lifeline.

The light is still there – and you’re still here.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~