Category Archives: transformation through AHA moments

January Handsel

January 3, 2014 by Mara Purl
Handsel: a gift given at the beginning of something, especially a new year. Though it’s hard not to keep thinking to myself “this time last year, Mom was here,” what I try to do when these thoughts recur is shift from grief to celebration, from loss to gratitude, from past to present. This is a new year, a perfect opportunity for new beginnings. Perhaps I can let the universe help me move forward, instead of tackling the forward momentum all on my own. Read more
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Step-Mothering is All Heart

May 9, 2013 by Mara Purl
Amelia-Mara-cropOne of my favorite roles in life is that of step-mother. Any more than one can plan or train for motherhood, one can’t schedule the unexpected eventually of becoming a step-parent. The job comes with its own prickly difficulties, but also with a series of gifts that continue to leave me, by turns, breathless and grateful. Read more
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A Year for Mom: January Foreshadows

January 31, 2013 by Mara Purl

Purl family Xmas photo 2012 Broadmoor“A Year for Mom” is a collection of posts written during 2013, the year of my mother’s final illness and of her passing. Some of the most heartfelt and extraordinary communications I’ve ever sent or received took place during this challenging year. I feel I learned so much that ultimately it was as much a year of gain as of loss. Many of my friends and readers have expressed a wish that I share my experiences. These personal moments are shared . . . from my heart.

My family all had a fabulous Whirl-Purl of a holiday season. I’m sure you’ve had years like this.… Read more

Posted in AHA Moments, Authenticity, Family, Family values, Gratitude, head and heart connection, Heart, Intuition, Live Your Best Life, Love, Mara Purl, Personal Essays, relationships, self-growth, Transformation, transformation through AHA moments | Tagged | 1 Comment

Serendipi-Tea

October 24, 2011 by Mara Purl

A few years ago, when I was first searching for the right kind of special event for readers of my Women’s Fiction novels, I chose Afternoon Tea as the perfect thing. “Tea” seemed to signify both elegance and comfort, a chance to connect with others while taking a break from hectic schedules. And though men sometimes attend, the event itself has a feminine quality, with great attention to detail and style.

The first person I approached with this idea was my mother. A brilliant hostess, she grasped the concept instantly and offered her own home for a series of three events that I named Hospitali-Teas.… Read more

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Blog Tour Visit #18: Essential Garden

August 26, 2011 by Mara Purl

Most of the year I spend a fair amount of time on airplanes. I come well-equipped with a set of Bose headphones to tune out the noise of the world and enter a writer-world where I can hear what my characters are saying today. I adore these special times: views out the window to surpass those from the castles of Europe; precious hours when phones can’t ring; and someone even brings me cold water and hot coffee.

So now you know the secret of my introspective side, the side that gets a pretty big volume of writing done day by day.… Read more

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Blog Tour Visit #10: Learn 2 Balance

August 17, 2011 by Mara Purl

We all need and want the good things in life: health, abundance, home, family, friends, career. Some of us have these things most of the time. Most of us have these things some of the time. The trick is to balance the whole thing.

Lori Hanson comes with a set of gleaming scales in her hands to help people find their balance. Her foundation is nutrition, which is where her sense of balance begins. But it now also extends to a more inclusive sense of all life’s complexities.

And this is where Lori and I connect. We met a few years ago while both of us were booth guests at Book Expo and she’s an irresistibly bright sunflower in full bloom.… Read more

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Blog Tour Visit #9: Entertainment Examiner

August 16, 2011 by Mara Purl

A lot is offered these days in the way of entertainment: a plethora of films, television shows, podcasts and, of course, books. How are we to wade our way through the ocean of offerings to discover something really good?

Mike Parker answers this question on a daily basis for his 7 million followers as Entertainment Editor for Entertainment Examiner. I’m his blog guest today, so that means I made the cut. Whew! An honor! It turns out he liked When Hummers Dream. Timely, too, because we found out today my new e-book has just slipped into the best-seller ranks for Amazon free e-books.… Read more

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A Hummer Hovers Near Your E-Reader

August 6, 2011 by Mara Purl

Hummingbirds are pure magic. Part helicopter, part jewel, they fly across thousands of miles from their winter homes to become an integral part of our summer. Their trilling songs and aerial ballets are a spice as sweet as the nectar they sip.

As far as I’m concerned, E-Readers are pure magic too. Now, instead of attempting to lug four books per flight, I carry one slim volume which inexplicably contains scores of titles, with no meaningful limit to how many volumes I can download.

Magic converges with magic for me today, as my first E-Book flies off the pages. When Hummers Dream is a short story that immediately precedes book one of my novel series, What the Heart Knows.… Read more

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Blog Tour Visit #3: Romance Junkies

August 3, 2011 by Mara Purl

What fun to be featured today as a guest of Www.RomanceJunkies.com. Though they chose a tongue-in-cheek name, their elegant site reveals a multitude of cross-connected authors and readers actively engaged in every aspect of Romance Fiction.

Founded in 2003 by Kat Brown, the site now has 60 reviewers, scores of author links, ten categories, and 2,500 loyal followers who communicate with one another on a regular basis through forums, and 1 million hits per month.

A key part of the site is the Romance Junkies Blog, where I’m the featured guest today, www.RomanceJunkies.com/RJBlog/?p=1150, as are my new books When Hummers Dream (free e-book this month) and What the Heart Knows (hardcover next month).… Read more

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Blog Tour Visit #2: National Association of Baby Boomer Women

August 2, 2011 by Mara Purl

Today I have the distinct honor of being the featured guest at the National Association of Baby Boomer Women—www.NABBW.com. Director Anne Holmes (“Boomer in Chief”, as she’s titled) asked me a series of intriguing questions as the second stop on my national blog tour. You can find it by clicking the pink “BLOG” button in the upper right, or by clicking on this link. http://www.nabbw.com/blog/2011/08/mara-purl-launches-virtual-book-tour/. I’ll also be featured in Anne’s monthly newsletter at www.BoomerWomensWorld.com.

So what’s a Boomer woman? A woman born between 1946 and 1964. Why is this group of people so interesting? First of all, because we number 35 million.… Read more

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