Welcome to
Double Alphabet

26 Word Pairs
One Transformative Journey

Double Alphabet invites you on a year-long journey of reflection, one week at a time.

The book features 52 weekly reflections organized into 26 word pairs: A with A, B with B, C with C, and so on. Each week offers an inspiring message, a gentle invitation to pause, and space to jot down your thoughts.

In each pairing, the first word invites you to recognize an experience, feeling, pattern, or perspective that may already be familiar. The second opens a path toward possibility – a quality, choice, or new way of seeing that may help you move forward.

For example:

Awareness ➠ Abundance

Awareness asks us to pause and notice what is present in our bodies, our thoughts, and our lives. Abundance invites us to recognize the richness that already surrounds us and the possibilities waiting to be discovered.

The arrow between the two words represents a bridge, creating space for reflection that sheds light on new possibilities. Through each pairing, I invite you to pause, explore what resonates, and discover what may be waiting to emerge.

For many years, I have chosen a word of the year – one simple word to guide my thoughts, choices, and outlook. It is remarkable how a single word, held with intention, can gently shape the way we move through our days.

This year, my word is pause.

As the year unfolds, I am discovering how often growth begins when we slow down. A pause creates space to breathe, reflect, listen, and choose our next step with intention rather than habit. This realization became part of the inspiration for the book.

The seeds of Double Alphabet were planted long before the book had a name. For the past 30 years, writing editorials for Beachwood Buzz – a local magazine I co-founded, serving as its editor and publisher – has given me the opportunity to reflect on life, explore inspiring ideas, and invite readers to consider holistic themes such as gratitude, purpose, and well-being.

My initial idea was to gather 52 of those editorials – one for each week of the year – and share them with a wider audience. As the idea evolved, the book began to take on a life and structure of its own. What started as a collection of previously published articles blossomed into Double Alphabet: 26 Word Pairs ~ One Transformative Journey.

You may choose to read one reflection each week, explore both words in a pair, move through the book from beginning to end, or turn to whichever entry speaks to you in the moment. Each reflection stands on its own, while every pairing contributes to a larger journey toward greater clarity, intention, meaning, and joy.

At the end of each reflection, you will find space to pause and write. Thoughtful questions are presented as gentle invitations to notice where you are today, celebrate what is already growing within you, and consider one small possibility for tomorrow.

As you read, I invite you to approach these pages with curiosity, an open heart, and a willingness to be honest with yourself. There are no perfect answers – only opportunities to know yourself more deeply and move forward with greater intention.

Meaningful growth rarely arrives all at once. More often, it begins quietly –with a thought, a question, a new understanding, or one small choice made with intention.

Even when the ideas within these pages feel familiar, the busyness of life can cause meaningful truths to quietly drift into the background. Sometimes, we simply need a gentle reminder to bring them back into focus.

My hope is that somewhere within these pages, you will discover a word that speaks to you – one that stays with you for a season, a year, or whenever you need it. May these reflections help you pause, reset, and reconnect with what matters most. Wherever you are today, may you remain open to the gentle possibilities for learning and growth that lie ahead.