Ageless Lessons Monday's Warm Cocoa 11.9.2026

October 30, 1934

Ageless Lessons

I had been watching my calendar for more than one week, in anticipation of the coming of a special day. Keith Merrill’s ninety-second birthday! That day arrived, the day before Halloween, as always.

“As always,” I said to myself, knowing that there is no such thing as always, when it comes to the celebration of the birthdays of the people who are important to us. Especially as their age begins to approach triple digits. This is the case with Keith. 

So, on Keith’s day, I touched his phone number and waited for his answer with anticipation. A welcome breath of relief passed my lips as I heard his familiar voice speaking a warm hello, before my name.

He is one of those loved-ones where time holds no power. As we began to talk it was as if we were continuing our life-long conversation. Such relationships are a rare treasure. And, in this case I have been the recipient of an additional, corresponding treasure; ageless lessons.

I say ageless because every time Keith and I talk, the relationship remains the same. He is the teacher and I am his humble and grateful student. He has educated me for the majority of our intertwined lives. During this current conversation, this truth caused me to be filled with wonder over two questions.

The first question was, “to whom shall I turn on the day he is no longer available to me?” The second question was, “where do those without senior relationships turn as they struggle with life’s challenges?” Keith’s voice drew me back to our conversation and past these two questions and he continued make me wonder at the wisdom he effortlessly instills into my heart and mind.

As he talked, the answer to my first question lead my fingers to begin to dance across my computer’s keyboard. I felt an urgency to begin to record what he was teaching me. That way, when my ears can no longer to hear his words, my eyes and heart can access them when they’re needed and desperately desired. Begin to record the wisdom of those who have taught you over your lifetime, so you can keep it close to you when you’re alone.

You can also use that wisdom for the benefit of others in that way. So many people are living without the benefit of ageless learning. Our society has changed over the past few generations. We tend to lock our wisdom-filled out of our lives. They no longer live with us. And, that gives those holding such relationships responsibility.

We are responsible to keep the lessons we’ve gleaned from our seniors, ageless. To pass that knowledge to others. Allow it to become ageless and alive in others.

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QSH7-aW2Cvsr6S7v_4hVFBWjxnvvLr-f/view?usp=sharing

"Family Court," Monday's Warm Cocoa 11.2.2026

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart

Family Court

I was often hearing a ball bouncing in the middle of the day. It was slightly perplexing, as I usually saw the next-door neighbor children rushing to the car, shoe laces thrashing about, backpacks in hand, collapsing their still-sleepy bodies into the back seat of their white SUV early each weekday morning. School starts early for them, so they are seemingly, always trying to shave time by flinging their bodies into that car, seeking an on-time arrival. I also see their mom driving that same vehicle as it floats down the driveway’s concrete before its tires grip the road’s black asphalt. Now you can see why the mid-day bouncing left me wondering.

One day, that wondering got the best of me. I exited my back door and walked over to the bushes and trees at the edge of our shared fence. That’s when I saw my neighbor Michael, the father, bouncing and shooting a basketball, over and over again. He did so with a look of consideration on his face. Later, he told me he uses his family court time to think things through, relax and have fun. After that discovery, I began to spend more time listening to sounds wafting from my neighbor’s family court. Those sounds come often and remain varied. 

I hear grunts, shouting and laughter coming from that court frequently. I’ve listened to the children grow up on it. I’ve heard Jacqueline, their mother, infusing laughter into their shared lives, as the whole family plays there together. Other neighborhood kids join in on the fun many times each week. This family court is a happy place; a place all want to be.

I found myself listening to joyful sounds from that family court a couple of days ago and wondered, “How did Michael and Jacqueline create such a place; make it happen?”

That’s when the once read words of Amelia Earhart came to me again, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.”

The success of the Brigance Family Court didn’t happen overnight. Michael spent many days out on the court alone, setting an example. His decision began by installing the court and then deciding to use it regularly. Over time, members of his family to recognized his tenacity. That’s when they decided to join him, the fun began and their relationships deepened over time.

There are lots of activities you can use to deepen and enjoy your important relationships. Maybe a family court isn’t your thing. That’s just fine, but make the decision to act and have tenacity on your own preferred path!

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QSH7-aW2Cvsr6S7v_4hVFBWjxnvvLr-f/view?usp=sharing

"Gate Agent of Joy," Monday's Warm Cocoa 10.26.2026

“I’ve always sat way in the back, never up here in the front!” 

– An aged, fellow passenger

Gate Agent of Joy

I first saw her walking toward the airport gate agent, Adam, on unsteady legs. As she approached, he offered her a generous smile.

I couldn’t hear the verbal exchange between the two. But, Adam’s smile stayed bright and sweet as she tottered back to her gate-area seat.

Adam continued sitting at his gate-desk, preparing for boarding, as passengers began edging toward the small door at Adam’s right. It is the way these days, with flyers. They want to be first on and then, they want to be first off. But before that, general announcements are made, just before boarding begins. One of them welcomes those needing assistance, or more time, to board first. Yet, Adam began a little differently. 

He stopped looking at the computer, walked around the desk and made his way to the aged passenger he had spoken with earlier. She looked up at him as he approached. Her gaze was met with his brightest smile. He spoke to her briefly and then, they walked toward the gate together.

When Adam got back to his desk he made the predicted announcement. Then, he opened the door for the first passenger to board. She walked forward and disappeared through the door, walking in the jet bridge to get on the plane first.

“That was nice of Adam,” I thought.

Adam was nice then, and was wonderful to every other passenger he checked in for the flight. But, he wasn’t finished yet, even when all were checked in and seated.

I watched him come through the plane’s doorway and move purposefully to the back to the plane. When he came back to the front, he wasn’t alone. The first passenger was tracking him. 

Both came to a stop at the empty seat next to me and Adam gave her a welcoming gesture to usher her into her new seat. She was pleased and surprised, while settling with immense pleasure.

“I’ve always sat way in the back, never up here in the front!” She said, while excitedly speaking to me.

Sitting in the front of the plane was another delightful first for her! But, it wasn’t her last first of the trip. 

When the flight ended, she was the first-off the plane as well!

“First-on and first-off! I’ve never seen that before,” I said, smiling to myself.

No matter how old we get, there are still delightful firsts to celebrate! 

Be a gate-keeper of joyful firsts, like Adam, by offering thoughtful kindness to all who fly life’s skies with you.

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QSH7-aW2Cvsr6S7v_4hVFBWjxnvvLr-f/view?usp=sharing

"Swamped?" Monday's Warm Cocoa 10.29.2026

“I am here today to cross the swamp, not to fight all the alligators.”

- Rosamund and Benjamin Zander

Swamped?

“Surround yourself with the best people you can find,” Chris Leader reminded me during our weekly meeting, before evoking his youthful experience of how to defeat the feeling of being overwhelmed.

“I was hired to go to Foster’s Farm to pick strawberries,” was Chris’ memory nudge.

He was part of a crew hired to harvest a vast field of strawberries. As the team looked toward the un-seeable end of the vast field, they were completely overwhelmed.

“Forget about what Old Man Foster said,” the supervisor advised, as soon as Mr. Foster left the field. 

Then, that field-boss picked up a stick and threw it into the field as far as he could. 

“Just pick to the stick,” he encouraged. 

The crew picked to the stick and when they reached the stick, the boss picked up the stick and threw it again. They did that until the end of the day. And, you know what? They had picked every strawberry in the field! Their supervisor had effectively demonstrated the powerful principle of compounding effort.

Doing what you need to do every day compounds upon itself. It allows you to change your life and get what you want, a little bit at a time. It is an easy principle to understand, but there is one thing you need to do to get yourself to really do it.

You have to sell the actuality of the principle to yourself before you’ll be able to motivate yourself to do it! To do this, remember that stick, the trigger, in Foster’s field! Set triggers every day, with alarms, to remind you to do the things you said you’d do. Push yourself by causing the measuring stick to live in your calendar. Build step by step.

Build habits. Habits build character and character creates the life you’ve dreamed of. And, don’t forget the power of that Foster Farm crew who worked together to conquer all of that picking to the stick.

Surround yourself with the best and smartest people you can find! They’ll help you reach that stick. They’ll support you, help keep you disciplined, give you courage to never surrender and get you over the finish line. 

What would you like to experience before the end of next year? Better health? Become more spiritually attuned? Strengthen family ties? Increase your financial security? Now is the time to think about what you really want in life.

Give yourself ambitions to make you excited to crawl out of that stagnant swamp!

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QSH7-aW2Cvsr6S7v_4hVFBWjxnvvLr-f/view?usp=sharing

"Intentional Sailing" Monday's Warm Cocoa 10.12.2026

“Watching a video or reading about something is not the same as experiencing it.” – Zsolt Gomory

Intentional Sailing

“Most people who offer to take you sailing learned from a book or YouTube video,” Zsolt Gomory said, not more than a few feet in front of me. 

But, that’s not how he learned! His expertise was created as a result of years-long, real-life, passionate experience. Leading him to become a three-time Hungarian National Sailing Champion. Now, many years later, his passion remains, though his location has changed.

A few years ago, Zsolt decided to bring his world-class sailing and coaching expertise to Grand Lake in Oklahoma and to nearby Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas. When he started his company, AROK, his objective wasn’t to arrive in a new place just to impress others with his sailing and competition resume. He wanted to give others the feel of what sailing actually is, by putting a boat’s wheel and sheets into new hands. He lives with the hope of igniting new-felt passion.

Today, his company, AROK Sailing School & Cruises, offers private sailing instruction for beginners and experienced sailors alike. He also offers cruise packages for adults and kids. Zsolt wants his customers to learn or just enjoy the ride. Whatever his customers interest, he intends to make sure they leave the dock with more than they brought to it.

He is a firm believer in what he calls, intentional living. And, he created a simple three step method to assist others to benefit from such living. He calls his method, “CTL,” which is an acronym for “control.” How does he help others to intentionally-control what they can in their lives?

First, he offers an invitation, “come aboard.” He asks all who’d like to, to come aboard one of his boats.

“All I ask is that they take the first step off the dock toward opportunity.” 

Once on the boat he makes another invitation. “Take part.” 

“There is something about using more than one or two senses,” Zsolt explains. “When you feel the steel wheel, hear fluttering sails and experience the visual beauty of water in combination with the horizon, it imprints passion onto your soul!”

Imprinting is Zsolt’s objective. He does this by allowing his students to “learn as you go.” Others may call this practice. But Zsolt says, “that word, practice, can often leave people feeling as if, what they first felt passion for has become drudgery. If that happens, one begins to suffer from intentional avoidance! What’s the fun in that?”

“Intentional sailing is about loving life, by making it the way you want it to be!”

Take CTL and enjoy your sail.

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QSH7-aW2Cvsr6S7v_4hVFBWjxnvvLr-f/view?usp=sharing

Curated, Monday's Warm Cocoa, 10.5.2026

“Good afternoon! Will you please let your wife know a gift has been delivered to her front door.” – Hannah Carlson

Curated

He looked down at the text message on his phone. “Good afternoon! Will you please let your wife know a gift has been delivered to her front door?” 

The message there was a complete surprise. Yet, he didn’t hesitate to call his ailing wife to see if she was strong enough to walk to their front door. Since he wasn’t home with her. She did have the strength and as she walked, the two stayed on the phone together.

That telephone connection tied the two together as she opened their front door. When the front door swung open, to reveal the now gift-occupied porch, she let out an audible gasp. It was a breath of surprised-gratitude at the sight of the beautifully displayed gift basket resting on the porch.

She reverently picked the gift basket up and carried it into the house, before asking her husband, “can you please connect us using FaceTime so I can share this with you?”

Her husband touched his phone screen and the two were instantly connected visually.

“This is so amazing! Hannah curated this gift with such care,” she said as tears welled-up, causing her eyes to glisten as if they were filled with sparkling diamonds.

The two explored each handpicked item in the basket together with building emotion. After-all, they had been battling the wife’s illness together for many months.

“This is so unexpected,” the husband said to his wife in a whisper. “It’s easy for others to forget, to move forward with their own lives, as long-term illness continues to claim its victims. We have not been forgotten!”

Each selection in the basket testified that the givers had done more than simply remember their struggling friends. Each piece demonstrated their understanding of the physical and emotional toll affecting their friends. It reflected their deep commitment to aid, comfort and stand by their loved friends. The offering was an exhibition of the word curated.

One most often thinks of curation as being limited to a specific type of public showing. The showing of historical artifacts in a museum, a collection of an artist’s displayed paintings, or formally presented photographic collections. But, this week Hannah, Ryan and Emory Carlson amplified and personalized the understanding of curation. 

They established curation to be equally narrated as a personalized expression of human love.

Hannah articulated this reality perfectly as she responded, to the recipient-husband’s message of gratitude, by saying, “We love her and you.”

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QSH7-aW2Cvsr6S7v_4hVFBWjxnvvLr-f/view?usp=sharing

Convinced, Monday's Warm Cocoa 9.28.2026

“I haven’t convinced myself that I know what I know.” – Sandy Jackson

Convinced

Sandy lingered toward the back of the conference room. Whenever she does that it’s a clear sign. It’s a sign that she wants to talk on a more personal basis. After the changes we had been talking about during the meeting I wasn’t surprised at all. The feeling in the room was unmistakable. We were all quite overwhelmed by the changes introduced to us.

“How are you doing,” I asked Sandy, as soon as I caught her eye.

“I’m doing alright,” she popped back.

The rapidity of her reply implied that the opposite was true. Sandy is always affable, yet she usually doesn’t make her personal life a spectacle.

I waited. And, sure enough there was more to come.

“All of these changes are overwhelming,” she continued.

“I agree,” I said in earnest. I wanted her to know everyone in the room was feeling the same and that confirmation allowed her shoulders to relax in relief.

“I’ll be alright,” she said. “I haven’t convinced myself that I know what I know.”

I have to admit that when I heard those words I took a momentary pause as my mind said, “Huh! I’ve never heard that one before!” She had my attention, even more than she did when we began our conversation.

“It’s just that all these changes remind me of when I moved here,” She explained. “I was an interior designed in Dallas before I moved. The move was so overwhelming to me that I retreated into myself, just so I could get grounded again. I was just starting to feel grounded when all of this began.”

She used her right arm to gesture a sweeping movement covering the entire room. It was an indication that everything discussed in the meeting was causing her to feel the same type of instability again. Perhaps the right description here is not instability, but insecurity. But, that was not the look in her eye!

When I looked in Sandy’s eyes I didn’t see insecurity. I saw determination.

“I’ll be just fine,” She continued in a soft, yet confident manner. “I’ve faced changes like this before. The specific changes are new, but the way I process remains the same. I simply need to give myself some time to convince myself that I know how to deal with change. I’ve done it before and I can do it again!”

Then, she smiled warmly and walked out of the conference room.

When she passed through the door I was convinced too. “She knows what she knows!” 

And, she along with all of us, will be just fine during periods of rapid change as long as we remember, we know what we know.

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QSH7-aW2Cvsr6S7v_4hVFBWjxnvvLr-f/view?usp=sharing

"An Invitation," Monday's Warm Cocoa, 9.21.2026

“You never know what is going to happen on any day.” - Diz Petit

An Invitation

I received an unexpected invitation from Diz, “Hi Lynn, I’m making a presentation this Wednesday during 1 Million Cups. I hope you can come.”

That message was enough to give me a little extra incentive to attend a meeting I attend regularly. I wanted to listen to her presentation again, because I’ve been impressed with her and the cause she was championing.

Diz’s mission is to accelerate the world's transition to a circular economy. So, she created LiquiDonate to revolutionize inventory management, by leveraging her cutting-edge proprietary software to match goods from retailers, brands, and other sources with communities in need. She envisions a world with less waste by working with retailers, event planners, and brands to match their excess inventory with nonprofits, charities, and schools. Diz taught me something I didn’t know.

$288 billion worth of unsold inventory and retail returns gets sent to the landfill each year! LiquiDonate has successfully created a platform that’s good for the entire economy, by completing a profitable economic circle which connects manufacturers, retailers, consumers and currently wasted products, which are donated to people in need rather than being thrown in the trash. LiquiDonate truly proves that “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

Yet, the word treasure means much more than physical goods or money. And, Diz was about to reveal the true depth of her humanity to me as we took a personal moment, after her exquisite presentation.

“I almost didn’t come here to participate in this business accelerator,” she said. “But, my mother told me I needed to come. She wanted me to come,” She continued. “It was important to her for me to come!”

So, Diz came, leaving her mother’s side, when she wanted to be with her mom, lending her strength and providing her with loving care during her illness. Because Diz is closing another important circle; life’s sacred circle!

Life’s sacred circle is competed as we return the love offered to us by those who gave us life and everything needed during our most vulnerable years. Completing this circle is so important to Diz that she did exactly what her ailing mother asked, even though it was the hardest thing she could do.

I knew it was monumentally hard, because I saw the lubrication of love well up in her eyes and then gently flow down each side of her face. Those tears are a testament and an invitation for you and me to individually complete our own sacred circles in life.

Because, “You never know what is going to happen on any day,” Diz said, when I asked her what the most important thing she’s learned from this life experience was.

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QSH7-aW2Cvsr6S7v_4hVFBWjxnvvLr-f/view?usp=sharing

"Costumes," Monday's Warm Cocoa 9.14.2026

A family dressed in community-based clothing.

Costumes

I was sitting near Gate 11 in a regional airport when I spotted one particular group of people. They were waiting for a flight at an adjacent gate, which was soon to depart for Detroit. It wasn’t their waiting that caught my eye. It was their distinct clothing. The clothing they wore delivered a definite message. It identified their community.

“Community-based clothing,” I whispered to myself, while thoughts stirred about its broader meaning. Their apparel was designed and produced to serve a specific group of people. The people they shared ties with. The people with whom they lived and shared a common identity. The clothing represented a subculture, their societal connection. They weren’t chasing mass-market trends. Their garments prioritized a localized identity, mutual benefit, and shared values. The clothes they wore were designed to make them stand apart.

“Stand apart,” I thought. The words quickly caused an eruption of dawning light to enliven my brain. It was an eruption turned into interruption. It changed my view entirely.

“They’re not really any different than everyone else here,” I mumbled as my evaluation process ramped up. I looked around at the people sitting near us. I began to intently notice the people deplaning and walking past.

“We’re all wearing costumes!”

With that, I thought about the costume I was then wearing and what it said about my own community. What group was my costume designed to identify me with?

“Stand with!”

Perhaps our choice of clothing is more about standing with others rather than standing apart! Maybe it’s the same message, said in different words. At the same time, there is a subtle and important distinction.

That difference is, well, difference. It all depends on the way we choose to think about our personal relationship with other people. This thought changed the way I viewed the formerly peculiar people sitting at Gate 10. Rather than viewing them as different and apart from all of the other people in the terminal, I saw them as the same.

We were all people gathered in an airport traveling to a destination, while wearing our costume of choice.

“Now boarding for Detroit,” the announcement barked.

I watched the group of seven people-of-community stir. They stood and gathered their personal belongings. They walked to Gate 10 with all others going to Detroit. Every single person stood in an orderly line to board the same plane to Detroit.

They were all people going to the same place. They just weren’t wearing the same costumes.

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cyq612ohmd8YUwEa5WXZjA3IWJVDPzOe/view?usp=sharing

Fighting the River, Monday's Warm Cocoa 9.7.2026

“I believe we create our future by what we say and think now.” –Dave Zitting

Fighting the River

“My garden’s production has exploded this year, so I thought I’d make us classic BLT’s using what I’ve grown,” Dave said, just before dashing out the door to gather the ingredients. He soon reappeared with his hands filled with fresh produce, just collected. Then, he laid every ingredient out and began to craft sandwiches. I marveled at his focused attention to detail and craftsmanship. I shouldn’t have been surprised. We’ve been warmly associated for many years, so I’ve learned to trust his advice. And, it was apparent that Dave is also a sandwich artist who was about to give me more than a sandwich.

“You know, I’m a little concerned about the frequency of some particular words you’ve used in our conversations lately,” Dave said as he sliced, garnished and assembled.

His words prickled my ears because I was unaware of what he was referring to. Luckily, he pressed forward; my wellbeing at heart.

“I believe we create our future by what we say and think now,” He reminded me. “I’m afraid you’re subconsciously creating a future you don’t want.”

Then he cited examples of what he was referring to. And, his description of what I had been saying and the implications foretold were right on!

“Interestingly,” I meekly responded, “I’ve been learning a very important life lesson over the past few months.

I went on to tell him that I had held the belief that I could “power through challenges” over the course of my entire life. Now, life was teaching me something new. It was revealing itself as “river,” more powerful than personal will.

A river’s power generally flows in one direction; can give and take life. Yet, it can be navigated directionally by a skilled navigator who can harness its power while beneficially using it to their advantage! An experienced river-runner friend once exhibited this to me on a trip down a roaring river.

My experienced friend had acquired specialized equipment that allowed him to glide along the water with amazing agility and grace so he could enjoy the river’s beauty. I, on the other hand, was inexperienced and had a small blow-up boat, more suited for lounging on a swimming pool! By the end of one day on the river I was exhausted and spent. He was not! He is a river running artist, just as Dave is a skilled friend, coach and sandwich artist.

Dave and I enjoyed the magnificent sandwiches he crafted whilst he counseled me on how to stop fighting life’s river and navigate it more effectively. So, I can harness its power to create more beauty, abundance and joy.

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cyq612ohmd8YUwEa5WXZjA3IWJVDPzOe/view?usp=sharing

Healthy Gut, Monday's Warm Cocoa 8.31.2026

 

“It just doesn’t feel right to us.” -  Chad Robinson

Healthy Gut

“I know we’ve only lived in our house for a couple of years,” Chad said before he went on to explain the decision he and Heather had made.

They loved their house, neighborhood and neighbors. Those factors weren’t causing them to question what they wanted to do with their life in the near future. They had a feeling inside. It was a strong feeling. Something they could no longer ignore.

An outside observer, someone who didn’t know this couple, who always made important decisions together, would listen to the words about to flow out of Chad and come to one quick and artless decision! He and his wife had gone crazy! I knew differently.

I know Chad and Heather quite well. We’ve spent many hours together talking about their hopes and dreams in great detail. That together-time has confirmed their healthy gut! And, I’m not talking about their digestive system here. They are especially successful at “inside-listening.”

Inside-listening isn’t about verbal communication. It’s about communicating fully within yourself. I’m sure you’ve been told and understand that a lot of human communication is nonverbal.

There is no universal or scientifically proven percentage for how much of human communication is nonverbal. Communication experts agree that communicating with context matters. Words carry a heavy load in sharing factual data, instructions, or written information. Yet, there’s a lot of unsaid communication.

Nonverbal, non-factual communication cues such as facial expression, posture and vocal tone express emotion, feeling, attitude and social intent. I call these nonverbal cues contentment-communication or expressions of happiness. Everyone communicates with each other and themselves nonverbally. Chad and Heather are proficient in both.

Yet, inside-listening is often a continual struggle, even for those who are adept at it. Perhaps that’s why it is commonly described as a still, small voice and why Chad and Heather rely on a tried and true inside-listening process.

As soon as they feel a little urging inside they stop and acknowledge it. Next, they begin to wonder about it, which leads them to set aside distractions and time for reflective consideration. Chad likes to pull his mountain bike out and ride the trails around and through their town. It gives him a chance to clear his mind and let his inner wisdom speak purely and quietly.

Finally, Heather and Chad circle back together and talk about their internal discoveries. They never make a final decision until they’ve completed this process in its entirety. So, when Chad tells me “it just doesn’t feel right to us” it’s more than just a gut feeling.

He’s telling me he has a healthy gut!

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cyq612ohmd8YUwEa5WXZjA3IWJVDPzOe/view?usp=sharing

"Stand-in" Monday's Warm Cocoa 8.24.2026

“Where is your uniform?” -  Roger Helsleph

Stand-in

“I got a call from a friend. He was the father of another player. He gave me an address and the name of someone to pick up,” Roger said as we sat in comfortable circumstances, over breakfast.

He went on to say, “When I knocked on the worn door a coarse girl opened it. When I asked for Nick, she turned her head and shouted. Nick!”

Nick came to the door dressed in an old t-shirt, shorts and worn shoes. Roger was surprised. His own son was sitting in the car waiting, dressed in his basketball uniform and shoes. So, he asked Nick, “where is your uniform?

“I don’t have one,” Nick responded in a matter-of-fact voice.

Roger was apprehensive, so he called the friend who asked him to get the boy. When the friend answered the phone, he responded smoothly about a uniform.

“You don’t need to worry,” he said. “I have a new uniform and shoes for Nick. All you need to do is get him to the ball game.”

The two-hour drive to the basketball gym allowed Roger to find out other surprising information. Nick had never played basketball before! Yet, the consternation caused by that admission was short lived.

Right before the game, after Nick dressed in his new game clothes, the team began their normal warm-up routine. The players lined up and began their standard layup drill.

“Nick didn’t do a layup! He jumped to the ceiling and jammed the ball through the hoop! That’s what opened my eyes to the exceptional athletic ability of the kid. I knew he was something special right then,” Roger said excitedly.

The team won that first game because of Nick’s athletic skill. Then, they went on to win the league championship. And, that was just the beginning of special things to happen for this young man.

The father who invited Nick to play changed Nick’s circumstances by adopting him into his family not too long afterward. That opened the door for Nick to learn another game. Football.

Nick played football in college and became a star on the rise. He transferred his skill into pro football, where he played for a few seasons before coming back home to raise his own family.

“He was a stand-in, first-time basketball player. He became the son of a stand-in father when he needed one. So, he knows the importance of standing-in where and when he’s needed on and off the field. Today he is standing and starring off the field as a father and family business owner,” Roger said when ending his story.

Stand-in when the opportunity presents itself. It will change the trajectory of countless lives.

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cyq612ohmd8YUwEa5WXZjA3IWJVDPzOe/view?usp=sharing

"Endurance," Monday's Warm Cocoa 8.17.2026

“I chose Jensen's comments about persistence and resilience.” -  Andrew Bart   

Endurance

My friend and business partner Andrew’s note began with, Jensen Huang, founder of Nvidia was famously quoted: “If I knew how hard it would be, I probably wouldn't have started NVIDIA.”

“Jensen went on to say that true endurance is the real superpower behind long-term success. Jensen has been NVIDIA's CEO for more than three decades, but I would guess that most of you had not even heard of him until late 2023 or early 2024,” Andrew’s note continued.

I continually pondered and examined this message over the past few days. Concluding that most, if not all, of us could look over our preceding years and make the same statement around, “If I knew how hard it would be, I probably wouldn’t have started. Yet, many of us have continued on, reaping unexpected benefits and lessons of enduring while some allow challenges faced to crush their will and desire to continue on.

Perhaps these thoughts highly impacted me this week as a result of working with my friend John Michael Miller. We spoke while in an office building, in which we are negotiating a lease hold agreement. He talked about the challenges he’s faced during the start and continuation of his law practice and reputation.

“You know the age-old saying, taught to me by my father, it takes a lifetime to build a reputation for being honest and trustworthy, and only one small act to destroy it in an instant," he asked while explaining his constant vigilance and dedication to his law practice and his personal reputation.

Then, he offered another astute observation, “I have found that faced challenges produce valuable benefits for me professionally and personally. I am grateful for them!”

John continued by explaining the relationship between challenge, endurance and profitability, by saying that his approach to enduring trials has shifted over time. He doesn’t wish for difficulties, but he no longer laments them. He fixes his focus by examining each challenge he struggles through. He constantly asks, “what am I learning and gaining because of this?”

This directed focus has made a tremendous difference for John. It changed his perspective from seeing trial endurance as a necessary evil to using it as an enabler for creation. It allows him to anticipate the hope and beauty shortly to be his.

“It’s a reveal-an-unexpected-future-map, guiding me to a future I could have never imagined,” he said, causing me to see a relationship with Andrew’s words, “I chose Jensen's comments about persistence and resilience.”

You and I can choose persistence and resilience as a tool for expectant emergence. If we do, it will serve us to create a grander, unconceived and unexpected future while helping us to endure-well everything we face.

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cyq612ohmd8YUwEa5WXZjA3IWJVDPzOe/view?usp=sharing

"Neighbors" Monday's Warm Cocoa 8.10.2026

“You have great neighbors!” -  Ambulance EMT   

Neighbors

Her morning didn’t begin the way she thought it would; even for a Monday.

“I was feeling ill all weekend and didn’t know if I could get up! I tried anyway,” Laura said.

That try caused her to fall to the floor.

“I passed out! I don’t know for how long. So, as soon as I regained clarity I reached my phone and touched two numbers.”

The first call Laura made was to emergency services. The next was to her across-the-street neighbor.

“As soon as I called, my neighbors came over right over. They arrived about the same time as the Fire Department EMTs.”

The EMTs started their work by talking and assessing. They were gentle and thorough. As were her attending neighbors. The neighbors also answered EMT questions, were supportive in every way possible and sure not to be in the way. They scurried a little further into the background as soon as the ambulance arrived. 

It took quite a bit of maneuvering to roll the gurney from the ambulance through the front door, across the foyer, through a corner of the living room, past an tight angled hallway and into the bedroom. Then, the four fire department care specialists worked carefully to prepare and lift Laura securely onto the gurney before retracing their route out of the house.

As they wheeled out, one of the EMTs said, “You have great neighbors!”

“Yes, I do,” Laura said brightly with a smile. “My neighbors are the best!”

“We’ll lock your house and check back with you a little later today. We’ve got you,” Laura’s neighbors called out as the fire department lifted and pushed her into position, securing her in the ambulance.

Gratefully, Laura arrived back home later that day. Her daughter-in-law collected her from the hospital and helped her into the house. Laura hobbled along in the medical boot protecting her broken foot. Her across-the-street neighbors brought her dinner that night. 

Others came and visited with her the entire evening, making sure she wasn’t alone. Laura’s friends jumped into action, calling each other and they soon had day-forward meals lined up. They knew it would be difficult for her to stand and cook food by herself. 

As soon as meals were planned, they called Laura’s daughter, living in a different state, to let her know what had happened, while comforting her that her mother was not alone. They’d be there for her.

“They’re always here for me,” Laura said. “Lots of people use the word neighbor to describe someone who lives next door, across the street, or nearby. But, the people living near me live by what my neighbor, Chris Hand, once called, ‘the neighbor code,’ while helping me through a difficulty. Thank goodness I have such neighbors!”

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cyq612ohmd8YUwEa5WXZjA3IWJVDPzOe/view?usp=sharing

"Identity" Monday's Warm Cocoa 8.3.2026

"I had become absorbed by my title! I could no longer see another identity,”  

Identity

The casual dinner conversation turned as soon as Carly made a profound statement.

“When you’re an adult there is no reason to be unhappy in your work!”

The truth of her statement seemed to suck the air out of the entire, iconic restaurant. Of course, her words weren’t suddenly voiced without basis. The preceding conversation was all about the path she and her husband, Phil, had taken in their careers. Neither of their paths had followed a straight-line to prosperity, happiness and fulfillment. Yet happily, they had arrived in such a position.

“I was working a crushing number of hours,” Phil had explained a few moments before Carly’s insightful remark. “The pressure was always on and when a management change occurred, in the form of a new CEO, the culture shifted immediately. It became even more intense!”

His career had followed a corporate path he characterized as “title focused.” And, it took a major shift in workplace pressure, demand and leadership to reveal his plight.

“I had become absorbed by my title! I could no longer see another identity,” he explained.

Carly’s eyes were soft and understanding as he spoke. She had been through every part of this journey with him and had helped him walk a path toward personal and professional re-discovery. They had been through it together and they had uncovered recognizable warning signs while seeking a more joyful and fulfilling life.

Carly became so adept at seeing those cautionary markers that when she saw them in her own workplace she recognized them immediately.

“The people I was working with were unhappy and negative about everything,” she explained. “That negativity was so endemic I knew it wouldn’t change. That’s when I realized that as an adult there is no reason to be unhappy in your work. I could seek other opportunities.”

She looked for a change in employment and atmosphere and soon found it. Now she’s happily working and using her expertise elsewhere, while appreciating the enhanced positivity at work and home. The same has been true for her husband.

“I wake up excited every day now,” Phil said as he described a recent experience he had as part of his work.

His eyes brightened as he spoke. His eyes lifted and sparkled. The inflection sounding in his voice was one of pure joy. His happiness reflected an identity no longer dominated by a job title.

Phil and Carly have claimed their chosen identities. They are fulfilled, happy and contributing to each other and our community as a result.

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5_jupxN3vxL53bCgPiPgpA5D6-OFEbZ/view?usp=sharing

"Study Like a Dog" Monday's Warm Cocoa 7.27.2026

 

“Harry Pupper knows my routines and watches everything I do.” 

Study Like a Dog

Harry Pupper has been part of our family for twelve years now. He’s like me in at least one way. He’s getting a little “long in the tooth. We’ve lived together for a long time.

I say together because he’s with me inside and outside. We walk together, play together and often work together. 

Over the years I’ve noticed that he seemingly has an internal calendar and clock. I noticed this because he anticipates almost every move I make. He knows the day and time I go to regular-appointments and is often curious when my movements vary from what he knows is usual for me.

The other day when my “normal” routine changed and Harry Pupper was with me, I noticed a quizzical look envelope his face. And, for the first time I began to understand the depth at which he center’s his attention and interest on studying me.

It is this intense desire to study the people who are important to dogs that caused “Frederick the Great” to describe his Italian Greyhounds in the mid-1700s, particularly one named Biche, as: "The only, absolute and best friend a man has in this selfish world, the only one that will not betray or deny him." Over the ensuing years this statement has been shortened and modernized to describe dogs as “Man’s Best Friend.” And, there is another common saying, a bumper sticker, I thought of as I pondered Harry Pupper’s study habits.

Now I’m wondering if I am the person my dog thinks I am!  And, I can see my need to study and fully incorporate the “Harry Pupper Method” of friendship. Here are a few of Harry’s traits.

Harry is always sensitive to what his closest friends are feeling. When they’re happy, he shares their joy. When they’re sad he is there, offering his support and love. He also shares his love in other ways.

Harry watches out for his loved ones. He alerts us to potential dangers. He never hesitates to warn of potential danger and is wary of people he doesn’t know. At the same time, he always remembers people he knows are important to us.

Harry demonstrates his understanding of true worth. He is completely loyal, giving and doesn’t hide is affection. He also knows the value of home.

Harry pays attention to his home. He’s sure to walk the yard every day to make sure things are as they should be. His heart is where his home is.

His heart is completely true. He observes his loved ones, knows their habits, their likes and their schedule. He even reminds us of when it is time to do the things he knows are important to us.

Harry Pupper reminds me to be the person he thinks I am and how to study like a dog! 

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5_jupxN3vxL53bCgPiPgpA5D6-OFEbZ/view?usp=sharing

"Confused," Monday's Warm Cocoa 7.20.2026

"What Happened? Did you lose your car?” 

Confused

It was early on a Tuesday morning. By the time I parked my car at the airport the sun was beginning to filter through the clouds, so silver glistened around the gray-puffs floating above. I noticed because I had stopped to complete a personal airport parking lot ritual.

My ritual is simple. Before I walk far from where I’ve parked, I stop and shoot a quick photo of the sign marking the location. That way I don’t have to worry about remembering where my car sits. After all, it seems as if I always arrive late at night, after working a full day.

My return flight touched down the next day, just before nine p.m. I wasn’t worried about finding my car, because I had the photo and I’d made a couple of mental notes to confirm my memory the day before. So, I walked right to the spot without concern. Until anxiety gripped my soul.

My car was not where I left it! Confused, I pulled my phone from my pocket and looked at the location photo. E8! No car! And, it was not only my car. The entire parking section exhibited only asphalt! More than one-hundred cars had disappeared! Had a magician befuddled me?

If so, then that same magician had confused others as well. A single man and one equally dazed couple stood not far away talking to an airport parking lot attendant. I sidled up while listening to their exchange.

“Your cars have been moved,” the attendant said.

The couple asked, “where are they?”

“Let me make a call,” the attendant responded before reporting, “they’re between E3 and E5. They tried to put the cars in the same order as their original location.”

Then, we the beleaguered travelers, began trudging together toward the promised location. The lone man found his car first. The couple found their car next. Mine was not yet found!

“We’re not going to leave you out here alone,” the couple exclaimed.

So, we walked the dark rows together until I spotted my car parked at seemingly the greatest distance possible.

“I’ve got it,” I cried. “Thank you for staying to help!”

They smiled. Our shared confusion had created a bond, so we exchanged contact information before parting. 

“Leaving the airport now.” I messaged before driving home.

When I walked into our house my wife was waiting.

“What happened? Did you lose your car?”

A second wave of surprise pummeled me!

“Why do you ask?”

“You’re much longer than I expected!”

“As a matter of fact,” I wearily grinned, while watching her confusion about how my car could have been moved without my knowledge!

And in the end? My confusion and exhaustion had been overwhelmed by kind and giving strangers.

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5_jupxN3vxL53bCgPiPgpA5D6-OFEbZ/view?usp=sharing

"Ambition" Monday's Warm Cocoa 7.13.2026

 

“He’s not just dreaming. He’s pursuing his ambition.” – Liam’s Grandmother 

Ambition

“What a difference between this year’s summer camp and last year’s,” Andrew Bart said excitedly over the phone. “You remember the horrible experience he had last year?”

I did remember Liam’s previous years’ experience. It was heart breaking.

“But this is different! This week he came to me saying he was dreaming of going back to computer camp. When I told my mother about his dreaming she responded with something unexpected.”

“Andrew, he’s not just dreaming,” she taught. “He’s pursuing his ambition!”

Andrew took a pensive pause before speaking again. “Isn’t it sad that so many of us loose our ability to recognize life’s small, simple, most important and transformative experiences? I’m so glad that my mother has maintained her ability to do so!”

Maintaining one’s ability to continually identify small and essential happiness-building moments isn’t singularly important as a parent. It’s also indispensable for individual life-long happiness and growth.

The aging process often dampens one’s ability to recognize the core significance of exploration. Which creates a strong desire to achieve something of significance. Maybe it’s because the acquisition of life experience conveys a lot of what could be called perceived-failure; an experience, outcome, or missed expectation that someone interprets as a failure, instead of dream-creating-exploration. This misconception often causes a person to no longer believe in themself. That’s what happened to Liam last summer.

Yet this summer, Liam Bart has offered you and me a window into how we might recapture and grow our own dreams into ambition. His is the perfect example of dreaming to acquire happiness. Because a person’s acquisition of ambition always starts with a dream.

Dreams get introduced to our minds through the trying-on of new ideas and activities. And, Liam’s computer camp has introduced him to many ideas to test. He’s learned to write computer code and has even written his own program. In the coming days he’ll be learning about creating and growing his own YouTube channel. These are all ideas that were unknown to him just a short time ago. Now they’re accelerating his happiness, prompting action and inspiring change.

Allow Liam’s process of happiness re-discovery open a door to being ten-year-old-like again. Introduce yourself to new ideas and activities. Allow them to well-up inside you so they can inspire new dreams; things you’ve never thought of before. And then, when you awaken, perhaps you’ll find you’ve discovered new ambition, as well as excitement once thought only to reside in the young.

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5_jupxN3vxL53bCgPiPgpA5D6-OFEbZ/view?usp=sharing

"Aha," Monday's Warm Cocoa 7.6.2026

"The goal is to say, can something beautiful grow out of this suffering?" – Robert Puff 

Aha

I’ve always taken pride in my work ethic, going back to my early days, as someone who was never the largest or most talented member of the youth sports teams on which I participated. I just played sports unremarkably. Until, I had a very particular aha moment.

One night a large, athletically gifted guy, came back to one of our practice sessions a few years after he had left the team. He thought he could simply show up again, years later, and instantly reclaim his position at the top of the roster. It didn’t happen!

At the end of his first, and only, practice back he came to me and asked, “what’s your name?”

I rehearsed my name to him, knowing that we had played together years prior, to which he responded Incredulously, “You’re Lynn Butterfield?”

That moment was my sudden realization. My instantly gained understanding, and a triumphant discovery. My hard work and discipline to the sport had transformed me from someone who was completely unmemorable to him into a player that had, over time, surpassed him. A person who had relied on his innate talent alone. My willingness and dedication to use and exercise my comparatively modest gifts had turned a lack of superior talent into good. From that moment I knew I could most often work and will my way to success.

Don’t get me wrong, I have continually discovered personal limits. For example, I never developed enough talent to play any sport as a professional athlete. There are physical factors precluding that. Yet, this discovery that anyone could turn modest personal gifts toward a creating a better, brighter future has benefited me ever since. 

This principle can also be beneficially appled toward life’s continually offered challenges. Robert Puff artfully says, “the goal is to say, can something beautiful grow out of this suffering?"

We each have the ability to learn from our suffering and every faced challenge while applying our meger gifts and exercising them for our good and inspiration. Everything we confront can become a continual source of aha moments to be used for our own good!

If you’re not netting you all you want in your life ask: Am I working to become the person that, others who knew you before you transformed your trials into good, won’t recognize in a couple of short years? 

 Sometimes that means starting new habits. Sometimes it means stopping old habits, while giving yourself the gift of time to grow spiritually, physically, relationally, mentally and financially.

Witness the person you’ll become!

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5_jupxN3vxL53bCgPiPgpA5D6-OFEbZ/view?usp=sharing

"Open Avenues," Monday's Warm Cocoa 6.29.2026

 

"The person you want to be is on the other side of what you don't want to face." - Chelom Leavitt 

Open Avenues

James and Crystal Hofferber were looking to create goodness on the other side of what they didn’t want to face. They never dreamt of the unlikely event that took their adult daughter’s life. Their loss was unthinkable. It was also unthinkable that the goodness of their daughter could also parish.

“Parish the thought,” Crystal said to James as they unlocked the door to their daughter’s now empty home and crossed its threshold. They were there to face something else they didn’t want to face. The examination of their daughter’s belongings. At first the reality of the task at hand seemed to hit them in the face as if the ice cold slap of reality. It was overwhelming.

But, as they looked at the nice furniture and other possessions remaining in the home, the feeling of being overwhelmed soon began to fade.

“James,” Crystal said, “I think most of this furniture is new or barely used! We could donate it to others in need. We certainly don’t need it!”

James had been listening to Crystal with his head bowed in reverence to the moment. The pair have been married for fifty-nine years and their trust in eachother is deep and unwaivering. As soon as his wife had finished her sentence, James did what he charistically does. He pulled his pen out of his pocket and began write. He made a list of everything. When they were prepared to gift their daughter’s possessions, toward the continuation of her intrinsic goodness, he pulled his phone out of his pocket so he could make some calls.

He called the local garden club first, to give them the hundreds of still potted plants to its membership. They came with trucks and many hands to harvest the plants, to continue planting beauty. Then he made another call to Open Avenues.

Open Avenues has been creating opportunities for people with disabilities since 1975. They  help individuals build skills, find employment, and live with purpose. If you’re ever having a bad day just go to the Open Avenues warehouse and interact with the people they serve. You’ll be inspired immediately and walk away happy. And, when the truck from Open Avenues pulled into the driveway to remove the furniture, their people brought their happiness and goodness with them.

“I found this jewelry in one of these drawers,” one of the men said while loading the truck. “What should I do with it?”

His innocence and innate kindness was the perfect personification of the person James and Crystal had become on other side of the tragedy they didn’t want to face. The loss of their daughter.

_______________________________________________

I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5_jupxN3vxL53bCgPiPgpA5D6-OFEbZ/view?usp=sharing

"For Our Benefit" Monday's Warm Cocoa 6.22.2026

 

“It will turn out to be for our benefit in the end. Thank you for ministering to us.” 

For Our Benefit

“We just suspended the treatment. My wife had an adverse reaction to one of the infusions. They’ve been able to stabilize her now. The reaction as so severe that the doctor stopped everything after stabilization. They are preparing a new plan forward. It will be at least one week now before they begin the first full treatment now,” he typed while watching a bevy of nurses and one doctor attending to his wife.

His message was sent to his minister who was anxiously awaiting news of his parishioners first chemotherapy session following her surgery. He had asked the husband to let him know how the initial treatment went earlier that morning by texting a quick note. Not long after receiving the minister’s request the wife’s infusion began.

What began in an uneventful manner was short-lived. The intervenes drip from the bag, holding the first treatment drug, delivered only seven drops before the patient’s skin turned a hot red and pain flashed through her body.

This life-threatening reaction caused the attending nurses to spring into action and call the oncologist in to the fight for the patient’s life. It was intense and the faces of all, except for the patient’s, were grim. Her face turned from red to ashen as administered counter measures began to take hold. That’s when her husband sent his note to their minister, who responded quickly.

“Oh no I’m so sorry. That’s awful. I’m grateful they could stabilize her. That’s all a lot to deal with. I feel so bad for you guys,” the pastor responded within seconds.

“It will turn out to be for our benefit in the end. Thank you for ministering to us,” the husband touched back, just before the pastor answered again.

“I love that perspective and agree. I’ve been praying and am sure that God and his angels will watch over her. No doubt that’s happening for her,” the pastor padded back as reassurance.

We all seek reassurance during such difficulties. And, in this instance the greatest reassurance, received by an ailing wife’s husband, came as a result of a deeper understanding and source. 

“Life has taught me that everything a person experiences in life can and will be turned to a person’s good if they will allow it to,” he explained before continuing. “The essence of life is the ongoing pursuit of meaning, connection, and self-awareness. It isn’t a single, fixed destination but an active instruction: finding purpose through contribution, cultivating empathy in relationships, and embracing the simple, everyday moments of living.”

It is those everyday moments of living that are for our benefit. Watch for attending benefits with unwavering anticipation and everything will turn out to be for your good in the end.

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5_jupxN3vxL53bCgPiPgpA5D6-OFEbZ/view?usp=sharing

"Love Language," Monday's Warm Cocoa 6.15.2026

 

“Cooking is my love language.” – Laurel Shepherd

Love Language

She didn’t usually accept an offer from a friend to bring a meal in. That’s because Susan wasn’t used to accepting simple offers of kindness. But, for some reason she decided she needed to change. She needed to begin to accept such offers of kindness.

“I’ve decided to begin to let people help me if they offer,” Susan said to herself in the seconds that passed, while staring at the screen-bound words. Luckily, she had the time to process the request, along with her determination to change. It wasn’t as if it was a verbal conversation. That was good, because there wasn’t any uncomfortable “dead air” hanging between them, as a result of the short delay in response. That made everything much easier for Susan to pause, take a big breath and then move her fingers in response.

“That would be kind of you,” she typed, while thinking. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this; leaving my comfort zone thing!”

Laurel responded swiftly. “Wonderful! What day will work best for you?”

“Thursday will be better for us,” Susan typed back.

“Sounds good! Is there anything you’d especially like to have?”

“Surprise me!”

Thursday arrived, on schedule, three days later. Susan felt anticipation as a result. After all, this was a new thing for her. “I’m the one who usually delivers dinner to others,” She said right out loud. But, I need to let people do good for me as well.” 

That good was announced that afternoon, when Laurel sent a new note announcing that her husband and a couple of their children would be stopping by at about six in the evening to deliver a warm meal. And, at almost that exact time Susan’s ring noticed their arrival.

This advent of dinner took more than just two sets of hands to carry the eye- pleasing food into the house. It took all three sets of hands to carry in containers of warm chicken & rice curry with fresh-baked sour dough bread. And, the smell wafting from the carrying hands was heavenly!

“We’ll let you enjoy this food before it gets cold,” Nathan, Laurel’s husband said with a divine smile before the trio left the house.

The taste of the food was just as marvelous as the smell and Nathan’s smile. It was also just as satisfying for her to feel contentment as a result of her decision to accept the kindness offered. So, she sent a note to Laurel thanking her for an exquisite dinner.

“Cooking is my love language,” Laurel responded, most likely with a twinkle in her eye, knowing that her friend was now, certainly sharing and communicating in Laurel’s preferred vernacular.

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5_jupxN3vxL53bCgPiPgpA5D6-OFEbZ/view?usp=sharing

Happy Trials, Monday's Warm Cocoa 6.8.2026

“Even the dog had surgery?” – Garry Williamson

Happy Trials

Garry Williamson was talking with his neighbor across the fence, chatting about the health challenges she and her family were coping with. A heap, seemingly more than their share, appeared in her household quickly and unexpectedly.

“Two weeks ago everything seemed to be normal for us. And now, boy have we been hit!,” she said.

Perhaps the most unexpected and perplexing aspect of their troubles was that every member of the household was beeing affected. The wife was diagnosed with cancer. She had just returned home after having surgery to remove a cancerous growth. Her husband had surgery the same week to repair a damaged knee. And now, Garry chuckled playfully, while talking with her, about the family dog, who was sitting near.

“Even the dog had surgery?,” Garry asked when he saw the cone around the family pet’s neck. “I’m sorry you guys are struggling. But, I’m sure you’ll get through it, even though you don’t deserve it.”

Garry’s most surprised look splashed across his face when his neighbor responded with, “I think we deserve it. Why not us?,” she said before continuing with, “it will turn out to be to our benefit.”

“Really?”

That’s when she calmly and gladly answered Garry’s surprise. “Well,” she said, “we’ve noticed over our years together that when things get hard for us we experience a lot of unanticipated progress. Good things have always come to us as a result. Things we could never have foreseen.”

The look on Garry’s face changed from surprise to thoughtful consideration immediately. He cogitated on her words in his usual, analytical manner. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond in the moment, so he simply looked at her thoughtfully, mulling her wisdom in his heart and mind quietly for a few moments.

“I still wouldn’t say you deserve it,” he said with a smile. “But, you know we’d do anything we can for you guys. Please don’t hesitate to call on us. Theressa keeps asking if I know how you are and if you need anything.

“That’s so kind of you,” she said with a grateful smile. “We love our neighborhood and having you as our neighbors. We couldn’t have chosen a better place to live!”

The eyes of the two neighbors met and stuck together for a couple of seconds. It was a moment of silent exchange and connection at a deeper, more intimate level, just before Garry made one more, parting quip.

“I’ve got to get to work,” he said. “Happy Trials!”

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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as an Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Both Sides of the Fence, About the Dish, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e5_jupxN3vxL53bCgPiPgpA5D6-OFEbZ/view?usp=sharing