I have never accomplished anything entirely on my own. Family, friends, and sometimes people I don’t know played a role in supporting my efforts. You read stories of how individuals overcame obstacles, pulling themselves by their proverbial “bootstraps.” Yes, we must take the first step and possess some self-motivation. [...]
Whenever I feel adrift, I clutch the lifesaver of memories and can’t help but smile. My favorite? Any meal with the people I love and cherish. "So much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family, that it remains the measure of our [...]
For years, I have hoarded quotes on small slips of paper, in journals, and now in a spreadsheet. I find them in articles, books, poems, podcasts, and occasionally, conversations. Something about the shape and formation of words can capture a thought, suspend it in time and place. You can [...]
Bridges intrigue and terrify me. Shivers run down my spine on freeway flyovers that appear to rise into the sky, and you wonder if there is another side beyond the pinnacle. Others hold my attention as I watch the traffic of vehicles or people moving about their day. We’ve [...]
I can hear Janis Joplin’s raspy voice as she belts out, “Freedom's just another word for nothin’ left to lose.” I've been thinking about freedom, what we have to lose, and how we can choose to see beyond ourselves. What does it mean to be free? Why do some have [...]
Song lyrics often stick in my brain, refusing to let go of the never-ending loop of melody and words. Like these: You’ve got to give a little, take a little, and let your poor heart break a little. That’s the story of, that’s the glory of love. Billy Hill [...]
In the dark, I stared at the phone. Please don’t ring. We left our small, helpless newborn in the neonatal ICU. He struggled to stay alive with every breath. “The next 48 to 72 hours will be the most critical. If his lungs develop in that time, his prospects [...]
When my children sat in a puddle of tears or pouted over the unfairness of cleaning a mess, I gave them my go-to response: “Where’s your happy face?” I didn’t dismiss their frustration or sadness because I wasn’t compassionate, although they might have disagreed. But because so much [...]
I have a soft spot for birthdays. That day you enter the world, new, soft, and loved. You often hear, “Live each day as if it was your last.” Suleika Jaouad, author, musician, and artist, believes that is terrible advice. As she faced overcoming, more than once, and [...]
My grandma lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, and hot summers in South Texas. Not once did I hear her complain or whine about her endless daily chores of milking cows, tending chickens, or baking bread. I watched Grandma do all those things and more, but [...]
