I got several comments last week on my blog post about New Year’s Resolutions. One of them was from a friend who—like me—still makes New Year’s Resolutions every year. She said she believes that winter is a time to rest, but also a time when the world is preparing to bloom again, and that taking small steps every day to reach her big dreams keeps her moving in the right direction. She also told me about something she made last year that I think is [...]
At my writers group’s holiday party, one of our members shared a story from her days as a 2nd grade teacher back in the mid-1980s. It was about the last day of school before Christmas vacation, when a shy young student stayed behind after everyone else had left the classroom. The little girl apologized that she hadn’t been able to get a gift for her teacher as the other kids had done. She explained that her mother said they couldn’t afford it. But the girl [...]
During her Scandinavian vacation last Spring, our daughter sent us photos from Sweden of the Northern Lights. I thanked her, and told her that was probably the closest I’d ever get to seeing the Northern Lights. I was wrong. I still haven’t seen them in person, but our son sent us photos of the Northern Lights from his home in Minnesota when they were visible there a few weeks ago. One picture included a stunning red backdrop for their house and yard, newly decorated with [...]
It’s time for a summer break, so I’m going to be off-line for a few weeks. I hope you have a safe and wonderful 4th of July holiday, and I hope you're enjoying the summer. I'll see you again soon!
I learned a lot during the year and a half my family lived in Colorado more than 25 years ago. Watching a sunset that seemed to color the entire sky, I learned what John Denver meant when he sang, “I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky”—although I’ve since learned that he was actually singing about a meteor shower. While baking a birthday cake for one of the kids, I learned there’s a reason for “High Altitude Directions” on boxes of cake mix, and I [...]
I can’t tell you how many times in the last four days I’ve heard someone start a sentence with those—or similar—words. It all began last Thursday. I turned the TV on around noon, shortly after white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney indicated that a new pope had been elected. But as yet, no one knew who he was—and no one would, until he came out onto the Vatican balcony for the first time. Although I had other things to do, I stood there, mesmerized, [...]
The last real dress-up event I can remember going to was my son’s wedding. But that was eight years and more than a few pounds ago, so even though my dress from that day has been hanging in my closet ever since, I didn’t think it was a viable option for today. Unfortunately, I was right. The reason I needed a fancy dress now is that I’m going to a black-tie event organized by Georgia Writers Museum, which is a co-sponsor of the Townsend Prize [...]