Self Care Tools with Leslie Marchand, LCSW

Grateful for a shoulder to lean on 💕

Happy 12th Anniversary to us! 🥂
Happy Empty Nester status to us!
Happy Healed & Healthy status to us after both having surgery & other treatments recently!
Happy 1st vacation alone in 7 years to us!
Happy to be back home at the farm to us!

Morning porch sitting ☀️
I’ve been sitting here for over an hour… through the morning ran, the sunrise, the ducks strolling by the house, the goats talking to me to say good morning, 5 of our 8 dogs close by to give and receive affection, writing in my journal, planning my day in my day timer. It’s a good day. Hope you enjoy it.

I decided that it’s time to share more publicly about an aspect of my life. Late last summer I found a suspicious lump in my breast. Since that time I have gone through treatment for “the C word” with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery, radiation, and many healing modalities for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. An affirmation that I have repeated hundreds, if not thousands of times, has now been declared to be true by my medical team: I am 100% clear! My affirmation is “I am healed. I am whole, in body, mind and soul.” I will continue the final phase of the treatment protocol until September or October in order to help me remain clear.

If we haven’t seen or talked to each other much in the last year, you may have noticed a lack of pictures of me, or noticed pictures with my hair looking shorter and much more red than my natural auburn, salt and pepper hair. My hair is slowly starting to grow back. I’ll continue to wear a head scarf and/or my “fancy hair” (wig) until my hair gets a little longer.

I feel good. I am blessed with amazing support from my family and friends. For most of the year I’ve been able to work from home and enjoy the peace and beauty of nature at the farm. Michael and the kids have taken wonderful care of me. I’ve spent quality time with Mom and Jim, who have opened their home and hearts to me while in Houston for treatment. I’ve spent quality time with Allen, even as we were spending time with Dad during his final days before his passing. My wonderful job sadly ended with a partial acquisition of the company. Even that happened in serendipitous timing to allow me time to finish treatment and to heal. I’ve been through the job search process and accepted an offer to start a new job in mid-July. When I applied for the job, I thought I would need to commute to Bryan. As it turns out, the job will be based in Brenham. I literally think that it’s the only job in my quaint town of less than 20,000 people that is a perfect fit for my skills and experience. And to top it all off, my office will be in the medical clinic founded by my Great Grandfather and Great Uncle over 65 years ago. It’s a small world. God is good.

Wishing you a happy belated Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

Texas friends: Want to support one of the best independent bookstores in Texas? Pick up a copy of my books, The Self-Love Journal and The 5-Minute Happiness Journal, at Brenham Book Nook in the local authors section!

BOOK NOOK MAKES YELP LIST - KWHI.com (courtesy The Book Nook) A book store in Brenham has made Yelp’s list of Top 25 Local Bookstores in Texas for 2022. The Book Nook was ranked on the same list as bookstores from all over the state of Texas. The on-line service Yelp ranks the list based on multiple factors including volume and ratin...

Sometimes you just need a new version of self-care… my latest is hanging out with our new goats: Pluto, Slate & Beetle. 🐐🐐🐐

Traveling to Brenham, Texas for a summer getaway? Stop by to pick up a copy of my 📚 books in the “local authors” section!

For quite some time now, I pop into this page occasionally to share a personal update or a reflection on something that I have learned or observed. Today is one of those days. My definition of “family” grew last night. We gained a son-in-law and we’re over the moon thrilled for Olivia and Landon to start this new chapter of their life together.
💖
Our kids are growing up. And honestly, I’m happy to report that I’m still growing and learning too.
💖
It’s a confusing and challenging time in the world right now. Even more than ever, it’s important to face the difficult parts of life AND it’s equally important to celebrate the beautiful parts of life. As I write in , “happiness is the experience of joy and meaning in the midst of the messy middle of life.” When we allow ourselves to feel ALL of our feelings we can grow and learn from the hard times, and we can rejoice in the good times.
💖
So whatever is happening in your life right now, I hope that there is some light in the midst of any darkness you may be experiencing. If you have a hard time finding the light, I hope that you’ll reach out to someone who can shine a flashlight with you. 💖

Sitting on the porch on this beautiful day… doing virtual therapy sessions with my laptop, headphones and faithful companion. 💖

One of my all time favorite quotes. Thank you for your light and legacy, Thich Nhat Hanh.

What a beautiful poem appropriate for the New Year!

FOR A NEW BEGINNING

In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.

For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.

It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.

Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.

Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life's desire.

Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

From his books 'To Bless the Space Between Us' (US) / Benedictus (Europe)
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

Liscannor
County Clare, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill

💖🌟🌈

Make incredible with these self-care tips from Pixar characters! ✨

Ugh… like that time that I went to lunch with my colleague and the waiter asked if I was her mom 😜

Thanks for the funny, but not funny meme! 😂

Today marks the end of a chapter in my life. I drove home with the contents of my office crammed into every inch of my car, so much so that I could barely see out the rear view mirror. No looking back. No turning back now.

And yet, it’s not time yet to start a new chapter. I’m living in the in between, the liminal space, the space that allows for rest and renewal. The blank page in a book that often delineates the transition from one chapter to the next. The time and space to take a deep breath in, and then let it all out. It can be an awkward space, letting go while not fully knowing what comes next.

Then I drove up to the gate of and I immediately recognized the beauty and hope and anticipation that comes from the liminal space. While I was at work, my husband had cleared a garden space of the spring plants that were overgrown, over ripe, unruly and mixed with weeds. He prepped the rows for what comes next, the summer crops that will be planted soon. Our dogs love the fresh, cool dirt. It’s like they’re drawn to the open space in between seasons. So as I embark on the next chapter of my life and we all anticipate the change of seasons that comes in the next week, I will wait, and rest, and watch to see what new life springs forth. How about you? What are you hoping to write and grow in the next chapter of your life?

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and have a hard time falling back asleep. I often have thoughts running through my head when I wake up… my brain is processing things as I sleep… sometimes a solution to a problem just pops into my head… other times I have a sense of anxiety and worry about something going on in my life. I’ve used different tools over the years to help me calm my mind and go back to sleep. Lately I’ve been using the Ho’oponopono practice, and I’m able to fall back asleep and get much needed rest.

The practice is a simple, yet profound Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness. It can be used as a solo practice - to make peace within your own mind and spirit, or as a practice of connection and reconciliation with another person. It is one of the practices that I share in my book, . When I wake up (or any other time I want to use the practice, I repeat the phrases in my mind over and over again until I feel my mind relax and/or I fall back asleep.

Here’s the practice. Try it out and let me know how you feel afterwards.

“I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.”

The phone calls after dusk and before dawn are still a jolt to the system. After I orient and get on the road, it always leads to a beautiful experience. I am honored to bear witness and hold space with families as they say goodbye to a beloved family member. As I drive into the sunrise or let the full moon light my way home, I am full of gratitude for every day I inhabit this body and get to love and connect with my family and friends.

This may not be a typical post for this page, but I hope you will read it. It is the most beautiful tribute to living life fully. ❤️ May we all take good care of ourselves and each other for as long as we are here on earth.

Damian Lewis on his wife Helen McCrory: ‘I’ve never known anyone able to enjoy life as much’ As I sit down to write this, I can hear Helen shouting from the bed, “Keep it short, Damian, it’s not about you.”I’ll try, but on a weekend when the papers, rightly, will be paying their respects to

Sitting on the steps of my tiny home with 2 of my buddies while the sun sets...

I love this. How about you?

Oh how I wish I had a camera that could accurately capture the beauty of the night sky and !