Category: Be Brave

I am so inspired by the kindness I see during the holiday season. At church, there is a tree covered with hats and mittens. At the YMCA, there is a nearly empty tree because people have taken all the name tags and are now out shopping for toys. At the grocery store, there is a bright red kettle that creates ... Read More

I love it when life knocks you over the head. That happened to me this week. I was struggling to write this column. I have a few other things going on in my life: my husband was out of town, I took my kids to Minneapolis for the weekend, my husband came home, I ended up sick in bed, I ... Read More

I wanted to give my children something really valuable for Christmas this year. I wanted to write down why I love them so they will always remember.

I thought this would be an easy gift to give, but in writing this letter to my children, I’ve discovered it’s really difficult to put into words why you love someone. It’s way more ... Read More

People don’t necessarily do things just to hear how ... Read More

By Nicole Phillips

I believe everything happens for a reason. Granted, I live a blessed life. But when I get frustrated with the little things and begin to pout “Why me?” I’ve found the best balm is to be kind to others.

Nancy from Horace agrees. She sent me this email:

“Nicole, I saw your article in the paper the other day, and ... Read More

By Nicole Phillips

Sometimes in life, you are handed a situation that makes no sense at all. You can’t fix it, and those around you don’t know what to do to help.

At those times, a chance meeting with a compassionate soul can be the lifeline you didn’t even know you needed. This is the story of Katie and Carleen.

Most of us ... Read More

By Nicole Phillips

I am a bad cook. I mean, really bad. Even my very sweet husband agrees that I can follow a recipe with the precision of a neurosurgeon, but the things I make just don’t taste very good. My 7-yearold daughter swears that Daddy’s mac-n-cheese tastes better than mine, and she’s right.

I was complaining about this to a woman ... Read More

By Nicole Phillips

“What would Nicole do?” I honestly had a women tell me she thought those words to herself as she watched a man try to pile an entire load of dumped lumber back into his pickup, in the rain, in the middle of 45th Street.

Um … maybe I gave you the wrong idea. I don’t always do the right ... Read More

By Nicole Phillips

I am officially afraid to open my email.

I come from the world of television news. If you didn’t like how I looked, what I said or how I was saying it, you turned to your husband and complained to him. I seldom got to hear feedback from viewers.

Apparently the newspaper world is a whole different game. I never ... Read More

By Nicole Phillips

I’ve heard it’s sinful to do something nice and then tell everyone about it. Well, hopefully the Man Upstairs will forgive me for this.

This past summer I was at the Fargo North pool with my three kids. We walk in, and my 7-year-old daughter chooses the one lounge chair next to an 18-year-old in a shiny gold bikini. ... Read More