I’m ready to listen, really listen, but I want to look you in the eye, smile, nod, and see you—nothing else can substitute face-to-face interaction to build understanding. * * * Call me old-fashioned, but I want to see your face and hear your voice. We marveled at letters [...]
I didn’t know what to say. The consequence of my mother’s words ricocheted pain that bounced back and forth across our family. What do you say to someone you love when they act in ways that hurt others—and themselves? Tucked away in an old journal, I found the poem [...]
Careen The pencil danced perfectly in my hand. But the words—the words could not find a home. Are they waiting for a more inspired writer? How could that be? Ideas careen. Maybe I can catch one, or two, before they dissolve into the sunset. * * * The challenge—write [...]
This day offers me 1,440 minutes to grow, to love, to hope, to make a difference in a world longing for kindness. * * * Have you ever ended your day wondering, "What did I do?" That happens to me more than I care to admit. I wander aimlessly [...]
We have much to learn from trees. I have always marveled at how trees can bend nearly to the ground and survive. Living near the Gulf Coast, I’ve watched trees as they brave the fierce winds of a hurricane, their branches arching to the ground. A few limbs may [...]
Are you there? I am waiting. . . . Lying in the grass, she gazed at the sky wondering how the clouds knew which way to go. Where did their journey begin, and why did some form puffy mounds of white while others barely streaked across the blue horizon? My [...]
Does age matter? For the past several months, self-pity shrouded my thoughts, convincing me that age did matter. It mattered a lot, and the clock for me was running out of time. I questioned whether starting new writing projects, learning to play the ukelele, stepping out into new adventures [...]
“Did you hear me? I want to know why. How can you keep going day after day as voices spin a web of untruth? Don’t you care? What can we do? I am fearful for the future and what will happen if we continue down this divisive path.” My [...]
I have a love-hate relationship with water and need the healing powers of the ocean. I love to watch the waves roll in or gaze at a soulful sunset reflecting on the water's surface. I hate the fear that grips me around water. As a child, I fell through [...]
I can’t help myself. If the headline tells me I have a chance to add more books to my reading list, I will fall in every time. Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all. —Henry David Thoreau (A Week [...]
