Something went wrong. Go ahead and laugh. I did...
Read moreLearning the Power of Words
It was the biggest dog I had ever seen. A German shepherd with a strong sense of territorialism and no love for strangers, even little ones...
Read moreWhen You Feel Helpless in the Face of Tragedy
A chilly fall morning at one of our state parks. It reminds me to pause and take a deep breath.
The Las Vegas shooting has left me stunned, angry, sad, and frustrated. Maybe you feel the same way. The depth of evil displayed there is hard to fathom. So many precious lives lost, so many others scarred forever.
I was thinking about what to write today when I came across a post by...
Read moreInspired by Beauty
Think about a painting or photograph that you like. What do you like about it? Is it the subject matter, the story it seems to tell, or the skill of the artist? The colors in the Dallas Kinney photo grabbed me. It made me want to be there, to walk through that grove myself...
Read moreUnexpected Beauty at the Food Pantry
Every time I visit the local food pantry, I walk in and out with a lump in my throat. People in my community—people everywhere—are hungry. Little children have empty tummies. Parents wonder ...
Read moreA New Season
It was a sunny, warm fall day. The late-afternoon sun was slanting through the trees in our front yard. My daughter, who was eight at the time, and I had been walking our dog.
As we went into the house, I grabbed some old kitchen shears and and a basket. “I want to show you something...”
Read more
Painting Pottery in Italy
For years I'd wanted to visit Italy. I wanted to experience the culture, visit historic sites, eat the gelato (oops--I mean, the food), and of course see the architecture and art. I planned to marvel at the paintings of the masters. At no time did I ever think I'd actually hold a paintbrush in my hand.
Read moreBeauty on the Road
Last Sunday afternoon, I spent an hour and 17 minutes stuck in the back of a taxicab, trying to get from the airport to my hotel. Three big events in the city combined with roadwork, road closings, and quadrillions of people converged into one huge mess. Welcome to New York...
Read more