Writer, Speaker, Editor, Blogger
I’ve been thinking about my dad a lot this week. September 11 marks 33 years since his death. None of us expected him to die at age 72, but cancer robbed him of more years on earth. No matter what age or stage of life you’re in, when a parent dies, it changes how you […]
For the last several weeks, I’ve been going through boxes long buried in our garage and Jim’s home office. Sifting through the detritus of the life of a loved one, and the places that life intersects with yours, is a bittersweet experience. Scenes appear. Conversations float. Memories take on a life of their own. Some […]
My father was a builder, so I grew up around construction sites, tools, and lumber. I learned a lot from my father, not only about building, but also about life. My father’s life mirrored his values and his actions modeled his beliefs. Key elements for constructing a sound structure are a sturdy, level, and plumb […]
Last week, my husband and I slipped away for some time together to celebrate our anniversary. Several times, I observed a family in the hotel restaurant. It didn’t take long to hear the dad “riding” the two children with loud reprimands about the amount of food on their plates, their slowness in eating, spillage, and […]
At times, we are faced with handling multiple stressors. Rarely do we get to do one hard thing at a time. Perhaps your children are facing challenges while you are dealing with health issues, or you are providing care for a family member while working an intense job. These scenarios, and others unique to you, […]
With the dawn of a new year, many expected immediate improvement. But as we flipped the calendar to 2021 many things remain unchanged. The weariness of the old year clings to us. A year-long pandemic still rages. Overwhelming grief is an unwanted companion to many. Uncertainty is still present. So how do we gain perspective […]
When I was a child, we attended all the high school football games, at home and away. My father played football when he was in high school, continued to support the program, and enjoyed the games. However, football held no interest for me. I usually took a book and read, although shutting out the noise […]
At times, processing items from my childhood home has been like falling into a time machine and stepping out decades ago. Finding tiny plastic dishes and pots spun me back to a time when I was a preschooler and Daddy would come home for lunch and visit me in the playhouse he built for me. […]
Each year, when the third week in June rolls around, I can’t help but think of my Daddy. Even though he died almost 30 years ago, I still miss him. I miss his strong hugs with a jiggly squeeze at the end. I miss his gentle voice, his humor, and his wisdom. My father was […]
When I was a young child, during a season of heavy rain, the large creek behind our house, overflowed its banks. I remember my father placing a stake in the backyard to mark the edge of the water. Then, several times a day, he marked the water level on the stake. Eventually, the water level […]