WellnessWithHolli

Ms Senior America 2025 Community Service Award Essay   David Miller Memor ial Scholarship Holli Kenley – Ms. California Senior America 2025 In my first career I was a teacher, first at middle school and then at high school level. Although I met hundreds of amazing students and had the privilege of teaching many of them, there was one student - David Miller - who caught my eye at first glance.   During the two years I taught David in a discussion-based philosophy class - Theory of Knowledge - I got to know him well. More importantly, I witnessed how other students, friends, and faculty were also captivated by David. It was not only his thirst for knowledge and his voracious zest for accomplishment, but it was the honest manner in which he pursued his passions and his purposes. It was his beaming smile and his tender heart. It was his immeasurable capacity to be and possess all that is good in life. What I learned several years after David’s graduation from high school in 2...

How Courage Opened the Door to JOY Introduction Have you ever wanted to make a change in your life?  Have you ever said you were going to change and then nothing ever happened?  Have you wondered what might be holding you back? As I share my insights in today’s blog, I hope you will discover as I did that although change is never easy, its genesis lies within us -  COURAGE                   Background Almost two years ago, a deeply beloved member of our family suddenly passed away. I have experienced other losses in my life. But this one magnified the fragility of life and its stark brevity.  As I moved through my grief, I made a promise to myself – I was intentionally going to seek out JOY.  In order to do that, it would require Courage.  Courage to change. Courage to be vulnerable.    Courage to Change All of my adult life I have dedicated myself to helping others, first as teacher and then as a...

  For most of my adult life, I have dealt with pesky skin spots and minor skin growths. A trip to the dermatologist has always remedied these nuisances with a quick freezing or a simple shaving .   Unfortunately, over the past fifteen years, the basal cell carcinomas which were easily treated on my back, legs, and upper chest began to surface on my scalp. While recuperating at home the last few days after an eighth surgery on my scalp, I am well-aware that my journey with skin cancer thus far may not be as life-threatening as with individuals who are suffering from other kinds of cancer, chronic illnesses, or serious conditions. Nonetheless, I believe in the concept of shared suffering and in the healing connections which draw us together.   Therefore, my message is two-fold. I have learned that I am not be able to control the progression or the outcome of living with skin cancer. However, I can embrace a mindset of self-compassion. Let’s explore three healing pro...