Writing a newspaper column had been a long-time dream of mine. It came true when I started writing a weekly column for the Chanhassen Villager in March of 2001. But as excited as I was, it didn’t take long—just a few weeks, actually—until I began having doubts and second thoughts. What if nobody liked what I wrote? Or they got tired of reading it? What if I started repeating myself, and my writing got redundant? Or worse yet, boring. What if I ran out of [...]
I don’t even remember the question, but the answer will stay with me for a long time. For the rest of my life, I hope. My husband and I were recently at a symposium of an organization he belongs to, and one of the sessions was a panel discussion featuring several of the convention’s presenters. In response to one question, a panelist began by saying, “I think that if more of us started our sentences with ‘I think that…,’ ‘It’s my opinion…,’ or ‘My research [...]
Even for people who aren’t big soccer fans, it was hard not to get excited about the World Cup this year. It’s been the main topic of many sports shows, news reports, and casual conversations for the past month. I saw several of the games, including the nail-biting final match between Argentina and Spain. My favorite game, though, is one that took place a week before then, and it had nothing to do with the World Cup. We were in Minnesota visiting family, and had [...]
My husband and I recently celebrated our 50th anniversary. Not of our wedding day, but of the day we first met. It was a blind date, and an easy day for me to remember, because it was exactly a week before the 4th of July in the Bicentennial Year of 1976—our country’s 200th birthday. I’ve thought of that often as we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July this year, on our country’s 250th anniversary—or Semiquincentennial, which is not just a mouthful to say, but [...]
Back when I was old enough to be dreaming about the future, but young enough that it was still far off, I used to imagine what an idyllic evening in my grown-up life might be like: Lying on the sofa with a fire in the fireplace and soft music in the background. A glass of wine and a good book close at hand. My husband in a chair nearby, and a big, sweet dog asleep on the floor next to me. I’d hear the sound [...]
There’s a new show in town, and it’s a big, big deal! It’s called Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, and it’s a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit that’s been making its way around the country since 2020. It’s in Georgia now, and Putnam County, where I live, is the first of only a handful of locations in the state that will be hosting it. The exhibit never goes to major, big-city museums—only to rural and small-town locations. It also includes a lot of moving parts. [...]
Easter is such a wonderful and important holiday for so many reasons. First and foremost, of course, is the religious significance for everyone who celebrates the resurrection of Christ, which is the basis for all Christian faiths. It’s also a fun and colorful family day, with a weekend that often includes Easter egg hunts for children, photos with the Easter bunny, and Easter baskets filled with chocolate bunnies, Peeps, and other goodies. For adults, Easter baskets can have samples of the foods that will be [...]
Hamburgers or hot dogs. Which food would you say is more American? How about peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese? Apple pie or chocolate chip cookies? These were some of the decisions I had to make—along with my three teammates—at a recent training session for upcoming school field trips to the Georgia Writers Museum, where I’m an active volunteer. The project wasn’t really about food, however. It was about discussion, debate, and decision-making. It was about the voting process. The preparations were in advance [...]
New Year’s Day is a celebration of new beginnings. Ash Wednesday begins a season of sacrifice. Yet both have something in common for me, and they involve thoughtful planning and reflection. Anyone who has read my columns or blogs for any length of time knows I still make New Year’s Resolutions every year. I give some thought to them, and try to come up with resolutions I can actually keep. Whether I really do is another story, of course, but I give it my best [...]