Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
Some people approach a new year with uncertainty and dread, fearing what is ahead rather than viewing a new year as a blank, white screen, or tablet, on which to craft a fresh story. A new year is refreshing, full of possibilities and hope. You can choose what you will do with the year ahead, […]
Several days ago, I sat in a long drive-thru line for over fifteen minutes after ordering. Horn blasts from the car behind me occurred several times, as if those in front of him could hurry the process. When I finally made it to the window, the eyes of the young attendant glistened with unshed tears […]
The room is dark and silent except for your steady breathing, punctuated by an occasional stop and restart. Death waits, lurking in a shadowy corner. Your leg moves. A nurse attends. Grief engulfs, squeezing our hearts, wrapping tendrils around us like the curtains surrounding your bed. When will your chest fall and not rise? When […]
Ah, spring! Who doesn’t love the vibrant greens, multi-hued blooms, and ever-increasing warmth of spring? Following the drabness and coldness of winter, spring is a gift. Spring is all about renewal, hope, color, forward motion, and promise. Renewal The last few years have felt like a long winter filled with pandemic, civil unrest, and, most […]
Last week, as I prepared a snack basket for a friend’s family to enjoy following a celebration of life, I listened to Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor. It was what happened to be playing on Symphony Hall that day at that time. Although I’d heard the piece before, I suddenly noticed many sections end in […]
For most of us, March marks the return of spring, and with it, new vegetation, multiple shades of green, milder temperatures, and bright blue skies. Yet, March is a month known for its changeability. Sometimes, within just a few hours, spring-like weather morphs into strong, biting winds, severe storms, or a sudden return to frigid […]
Will this be a difficult Christmas for you? Amid all the activities and festivities, is your heart breaking as you miss the presence of a loved one? Loss comes in many different forms and the associated grief manifests differently for each of us. Your grief may be new or surface afresh after many years. I […]
Last week, I learned of several in our community who died from COVID-related complications. This week, I know those who are struggling with multiple health conditions or new diagnoses. I look around me at church and count multiple people who lost a spouse or other family members in the past year. Honestly, as we near […]
In my search for tomatoes that taste like the kind my father used to grow in the backyard, I discovered the ones that come closest are what the grocery store labels “cluster tomatoes,” the kind with the vine still attached. Sometimes, strange things, like cluster tomatoes, speak to me about life. As I unloaded groceries, […]
This week marks 30 years since my father died. When you have a good Daddy, thirty years is a long time to live without him. But intertwined in missing him are the memories of his hugs, with a jiggly squeeze at the end, the sight of his dimples when he told tall tales, his love, […]