by Nancy Hopps | Jan 3, 2023 | Blog
On January 2, 2023, Cai Emmons — a valued friend, prolific author, and generally amazing human being — chose to end her life in accordance with Oregon’s Death with Dignity laws. After being diagnosed with ALS in Feb 2021, she vulnerably and courageously shared her...
by Nancy Hopps | Nov 12, 2022 | Blog
While searching for something else today, I came across a personal journal entry — one I’d totally forgotten I’d even written. It’s from April of 2021, when I was still in the very early stages of writing my book, All the Courage Love Takes. *** From my journal: Today...
by Nancy Hopps | May 3, 2022 | Blog
I always really liked my cheekbones. As a woman raised in our obsessively image-conscious culture, there are certain body parts that historically were not my favorites — like my waistline, which, even at the peak of my young athletic days, was always wider than the...
by Nancy Hopps | Apr 24, 2022 | Blog
Here I am, in Maui – a picturesque tropical paradise. What better place to be on Earth Day, to bask in the beauty, the majesty, the healing power of Mother Nature? I could just leave this post at that. And yet, my heart feels heavy today: when I think of so many...
by Nancy Hopps | Apr 17, 2021 | Blog
After a long year of pandemic-induced “sheltering in place,” my husband, Ken, and I boarded an airplane a few days ago and flew here to Maui, Hawaii. We’d had plans to come over for a two-week vacation in April of 2020, but the pandemic dramatically squelched those...
by Nancy Hopps | Mar 9, 2021 | Blog
Mrs. Beath. I smile when I think of her. She was a large woman. Like, 200+ pounds large. She lived next door to us when I was in grade school. All the houses and front yards on our street in the little suburban neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA, looked pretty much the...
by Nancy Hopps | Feb 19, 2021 | Blog
My husband, Ken, and I had positioned ourselves outside the box office of the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, for the better part of two days now, armed with a little handmade sign, hoping to get two tickets to the final, sold-out performance...
by Nancy Hopps | Jan 31, 2020 | Blog
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness… it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair …” A few days ago, I came across this quote from “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles...
by Nancy Hopps | Jun 17, 2019 | Blog
My husband, Ken, and I had positioned ourselves outside the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Box Office for the better part of two days now, armed with a little handmade sign, hoping to get two tickets to the final, sold-out performance of the world premiere production of...
by Nancy Hopps | Jan 29, 2019 | Blog
In early September 2018, I held my Annual Women’s Retreat. I want to express my gratitude to and about the amazing group of women who ended up making that end-of-Summer retreat such a rich experience. The depth of love, caring and community that was established...
by Nancy Hopps | Jun 28, 2018 | Blog
“If you carry JOY in your heart, you can heal any moment.” – Carlos Santana One of the best parts of our Aussie adventure was being “unplugged,” away (for the most part) from internet, cell phones and news reports. As the weeks went by, we experienced a...
by Nancy Hopps | Jan 30, 2018 | Blog
It was so lovely to see the sun today, to feel its soothing caress as I did yoga on the front lawn next to Luna (our giant sequoia tree.) I easily put off working on this blog post until after a lovely couple-mile walk down our country road. While walking, I exchanged...
by Nancy Hopps | Sep 19, 2017 | Blog
What a bizarre feeling it was, lying in our tent with my eyes stinging and my lungs aching from smoke, checking my laptop yet again for an update of the air quality forecast. Periodically, I’d then switch to the screen I’d kept open in order to track the progress of...
by Nancy Hopps | Jun 10, 2017 | Blog
My friend, Kim, shared this story with me recently: When I was younger, I attended Catholic masses. I always especially enjoyed the part of the service in which members of the congregation were invited to offer their prayers for joint supplication – those who felt so...
by Nancy Hopps | Feb 4, 2017 | Blog
Just prior to the election, I felt deeply inspired to write a blog piece. As I’ve meditated on what to write in this new blog post, I repeatedly come back to that message. The gist of that message is, to me, the most important thing we can be in conversation...
by Nancy Hopps | Dec 1, 2016 | Blog
It’s been a powerful past few weeks. The outcome of the U.S. presidential election stunned the world, with shock waves still rippling. The brightest, closest “super moon” since 1948 illuminated the night sky, wielding its lunar magic. And for me, a lifetime dream came...
by Nancy Hopps | Nov 7, 2016 | Blog
In the weeks leading up to this Election Day, I’ve felt an uncustomary heaviness in my heart. Tears have come more easily than usual. At times, I’ve felt powerless and overwhelmed, like a sponge soaking up the generalized anxiety so pervasive in those around me. And I...
by Nancy Hopps | Oct 17, 2016 | Blog
While typing a birthday wish to a friend, I watched the above phrase appear on the page, and thought, “Ooh! I like that!” What a fun way to sum up… life! This morning I had a half dozen conversations, with friends, clients, colleagues, about how each of them is doing...
by Nancy Hopps | Jun 28, 2016 | Blog
Most of my life, I’ve felt an innate desire to be of service. I think that’s a good thing. In recent months, however, I’ve been deeply reflecting on what that even means. How do I balance that driving desire to share, to contribute, to accomplish, to do, with an...
by Nancy Hopps | Jun 15, 2016 | Blog
Today, I came across this photo that I took a few years ago while traveling. It brought tears to my eyes. As I gazed upon the image of this deity, I felt a wave of profound compassion move through me like a soothing balm. Like millions of others, I have been feeling...
