How does your garden grow? As I created a mental list of gardening chores for today, a nursery rhyme popped into my head: Mary, Mary, quite contrary How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row. That took me [...]

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 [...]

My sister sent me a text. Not unusual, except for her request. Can you send me a recipe from Mom for chicken and dumplings? A simple, straightforward request, right? Our mother never wrote down the recipe. Her mother never wrote down the recipe. I have never written down the [...]

Living on the edge of her future, a six-year-old swayed in the spotlight of the sun. Her voice, clear and unwavering, belted out the song. Standing on the edge of the stage, she feared nothing and no one. I don’t remember the song, but I do remember the girl. The [...]

Mundane, repetitive chores send my thoughts swirling and spiraling. I spent the day pressure-washing the deck. Not the most exciting way to spend my time, but the dirt and grime ran down the drain. I smiled. I let some thoughts, the negative ones, slide away alongside the grime. I [...]

I sometimes find myself grasping for gratitude even on the best of days. When I would complain or pout about some small misfortune, my mother offered little consolation. She shrugged and gave me these words: "Be thankful for what you have." Loss or change can strangle you. Being thankful [...]