September 24, 2021 “I had to do it; I was desperate,” a friend confessed some years back. To avoid the intense loneliness, she had placed a sign on her front yard that read, “I need a friend.” Most wouldn’t take that step, a bit bold and daring. But when loneliness gnaws during long days and …
September 10, 2021 We can’t blame him. At one time or another, you and I did it, too. And sometimes we can’t even figure it out. Was it simply a shortcoming? Was it jealousy, envy or sorry self-pity? This scenario plays out in the prodigal son’s story. We all know it. One day he packed …
August 27, 2021 In 1962, my brother and I snuggled next to my mom. We rode in the back of a dilapidated truck around the mountains in Bolivia. “When will we get there?” I asked her as my ten-year-old mind anticipated fun moments in the tropical area of Bolivia. But to get there, we …
August 13, 2021 “I know the guy is not the right one for her,” my friend said some years back. “But as long as she’s happy.” Her daughter married him and shortly after, it ended in a painful and bitter divorce. Is wishing happiness what we want for our kids? Happiness is often confused with …
July 30, 2021 “And you can now get mature manure,” the radio announcer said, “and you’ll have the greenest grass ever.” Mature manure? Who ever heard of that? But as odd as its name, so was its effect. It turns out that when you put this product on your grass, it protects it and produces …
July 16, 2021 If you peek through my window, you’ll find me dancing. I’m celebrating because a few weeks ago, after a year of Zoom presentations, I delivered my first in-person message. After I finished, I put the mic down on the podium and stepped off. As I made my way to the book table, …
June 4, 2021 Goodness, spring is over and, admittedly, the spring cleaning became nothing more than a good intention. Then guilt nudged. I rolled up my sleeves and began with closets. Then drawers. I tossed out jars of who-knows-what in my bathroom drawer—old tubes of lipstick, creams that probably ended up there since I was …
May 21, 2021 “I wanted to die,” my friend said as she dabbed tears. “I never expected he’d cheat on me. I never, ever saw it coming. I asked him if he still loved me,” she said in the midst of sobs, “and he said he stopped loving me a long time ago.” You or …
May 9, 2021 While I folded laundry, Joe, my four-year-old son, and his friend played with Lego’s on the family room floor. “My mom has eyes at the ends of her fingertips,” Joe said to his friend. I chuckled at first, but then marveled at his insight. He was absolutely right. After losing my sight, …
April 23, 2021 Dust from the dirt road came in through the open window. But my nine-year-old brother and I, at 10, didn’t care. Mom held us tight as we rode in the back seat of the dilapidated truck. “When will we get there?” my brother and I asked over and over again. We …
