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A Different View

A lot of people honked their horns and waved, or gave us a “thumbs up” as they drove past. But I saw three “thumbs down” signals, and a handful—no pun intended—of middle fingers. One elderly man shouted “F*** you!” several times while waiting for the traffic light to change, and another rolled down his window to yell out, “Are y’all getting paid?” Most of the responses, however, were positive and supportive. My husband and I did something on Saturday that [...]

By |June 17th, 2025|Columns, Making a Difference, Quotes and Sayings, Values|

Take a deep breath

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 [...]

By |June 3rd, 2025|Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Travel|

Never in my life…

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 [...]

By |May 12th, 2025|Columns, Faith, Making a Difference, Respect, Values|

All dressed up

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 [...]

By |April 16th, 2025|Columns, Health and Well-being, Respect, Values|

A Philosophical Question

When my kids were little, I always enjoyed taking them to the library, and realized early on that the Children’s section had a wealth of information and ideas for adults, too—especially those who were considering starting a new hobby or activity, like gardening, painting, or making gross-looking snacks for Halloween. Children’s books were quicker to read and easier to understand than the “How-to” books in the Adults section, and provided a basic overview and instructions for getting started. This, of [...]

By |March 29th, 2025|Columns, Family, Values|

An Intelligence Dilemma

This blog post was written by a human. I never thought to say that before—never thought I needed to—but, as Bob Dylan once sang, the times they are a-changin’. I’ve been concerned for a while now about the use—and misuse—of artificial intelligence (AI). Especially when it comes to writing. As a writer, editor, and occasional judge of students’ writing competitions, I’m especially concerned with AI replacing the work of human hands. Not just because it raises the issue of plagiarism [...]

By |March 9th, 2025|Accountability, Columns, Writing|