Let the madness begin. Stuffed bellies, ringing bells, gifts to buy, cards to address, long lines, short tempers: Welcome to Thanksgiving Weekend.
Even though many of us will spend this weekend with the people we love the most, it’s often as much a time of stress as it is a time of celebration. We know this weekend marks the starting line ... Read More
I’ve been thinking it’s about time to retire this kindness column. I’ve been feeling busy lately. Really busy.
Diva Connection is taking off (thank you, God), and that means more meetings, more trouble shooting, and more time making sure women in our community who need something connect with the women who can help them.
I started thinking that something in my life ... Read More
For the past two months, I’ve been walking around like one of those “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil” monkeys. I’ve been closing my eyes, covering my ears and zipping my mouth. Why? Politics.
Every time I turned on the TV, switched on the radio or logged into my Facebook account, I was bombarded by other people’s opinions.
I ... Read More
There is a woman I run into on a regular basis who drives me crazy. She is always happy. I mean always.
She teaches a Zumba exercise class, so for a while I thought maybe she was happy all the time because of all of the endorphins she has streaming through her body.
Then she let me in on her secret. She ... Read More
It’s one thing to help someone who has fallen on hard times without having done anything wrong. But it’s much harder for me to understand how people can leave their comfort zones to help people who have brought the hard luck on themselves.
I received a letter from a woman named Marilyn Johnson that got me thinking about the amount of ... Read More
My friend, Kristi, said something the other day that made my heart stop for a moment.
But let me back up. Kristi is a one-woman parade: marching band, confetti, the whole works. She walks into the room and brings sunshine and gale-force winds. She has more energy than anyone I have ever met. Anyone. Ever.
Kristi and her husband, Rod, have four ... Read More
I want to follow up on the column I wrote last week about volunteering with your kids.
The day after it appeared in the paper, I got an email from a woman named Karen in Sykeston, N.D. I think she illustrates better than I ever could just how much of a difference one person can make in the lives of others.
“Dear ... Read More
My daughter has decided to quit Girl Scouts. Her best friend left the group and her leader took on another role, so basically my daughter feels like she would have to attend meetings without two of her favorite people.
Half of me is dancing around the house in absolute glee because that means we won’t have to sell any magazines or ... Read More
When I was a little girl, my mom took me shopping for a winter coat. My parents had recently divorced and were still trying to figure out who would pay for what when it came to clothes, shoes and after-school activities.
Wintertime was right around the corner, so my mom and I went to the one department store in town and ... Read More
My heart aches when I see tragedy in this world, especially tragedy that could have been avoided. That’s how I felt the morning of July 7 when I opened the paper and read about the Deutschers, a young couple and their 1-year-old daughter, who were killed the night before in an accident with a drunken driver.
There is plenty to be ... Read More
