Can I Get an AMEN?
I hadn’t felt this nervous since I was waiting in the wings of the Miss America pageant 20 years ago. If I hadn’t wanted what was on the other side of that door so badly, I would have bolted. Just behind that door was the person who could say one word and make all of
Nurses Fill Painful Road with Kindness
“This needs sugar!” a woman barks from the table behind me. A nurse gently tells for the 10th time, “I already put sugar on it for you, Alice.” “Well it doesn’t taste like it!” her surly charge growls. “Help! Help! Help!” the woman two tables away shrieks. The first time I heard it, I was
Perfectly Imperfect Kindness
I woke up this morning in Charlotte, North Carolina. I guess that’s a good thing since that’s where I went to bed last night. It’s a little confusing trying to keep up with myself this summer. During the month of July, I’ve been in New York, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. I have spent six nights
We are the Light
It’s heavy, isn’t it? All this stuff happening in our world? It makes me feel sad and angry and fearful and all of those other emotions that erupt simultaneously when senseless acts of violence occur. But it also makes me feel helpless, and that might be the worse feeling of all. Three years ago, I
Kindness & Gas Money Rescue the Empty
When the world is closing in on you, and panic and uncertainty threaten to swallow you whole, kindness takes on a new level of importance. An otherwise small gesture of love becomes magnified and gives us the strength to put one foot in front of the other. Zach Wilson sent me this letter from a
Cancer Lives in the Basement
It’s the one year anniversary of my mastectomy! Although the cancer is gone, it still very much feels like a part of our lives. Cancer is similar to a cousin who lives in the basement… sometimes it’s annoying have another guest around, but then he goes and does something totally sweet like stocks the fridge
An Update on Dad
I’ve entered an alternate reality. I’m supposed to be surrounded by children right now, warm sunlight on my face, as the smell of hamburgers wafts from the grill nearby. That’s what summertime is about. Instead, I’m surrounded by old people, under the cold glow of florescent nursing home lights, with a mixture of chemical cleaners
