Some emails are just too awesome for words. Last Friday, the day my story ran about the woman who left her purse at a Tennessee airport, I got this message:
“What a very nice story about Jean Clemens losing her purse and her happy ending. You are a blessing to others by letting them know there is still goodness in ... Read More
My purse was stolen when I was in college. A few years later, it happened again. Was it my fault? Absolutely. I had been careless both times.
The grief I felt came from a sense of being personally violated, but it also stemmed from something larger. I had believed in my heart that people were good, but good people didn’t steal ... Read More
It’s humbling to realize that while I was sitting on the living room floor watching my kids tear into the colorful assortment of presents under the Christmas tree, other lives were unfolding simultaneously in ways much different than mine.
Jayne Holtgrewe of Moorhead spent her day nursing her husband back to health after he experienced a terrible fall.
But instead of grieving ... Read More
Last week, I shared part one of the story of a single mom struggling to make ends meet with her teenage son.
It’s the backdrop of pain in our lives that gives our joy such brilliance. And often, it’s receiving an act of kindness at just the right time that spurs us to do the same for ... Read More
It’s our stories that build the color into our lives. Yes, there is often pain as they are being written, but without that pain we wouldn’t know real joy.
I want to spend this week and next sharing the story of a mom and her teenage son, and the beauty that unfolded when one act of kindness led to the next.
“My ... Read More
Are you done? Have you finished all the hustle and bustle that comes with creating the magic of the season? If so, good for you! (Now can you come to my house and help me?)
If not, take heart. Ironically, it’s in the midst of our craziest schedules that we are most blessed with the chance to show other people they ... Read More
My friend, Tania, has been going through a whirlwind year of transition. One year ago, she sold her dream house, the one she had designed, built and lovingly decorated eight years prior.
She and her husband felt a call on their lives to downsize. Even with two kids still in the house, they knew it was time to let go ... Read More
Does what I do matter?
Have you ever thought that to yourself?
Perhaps you’ve been in the checkout lane when the cashier asks if you’d like to donate a dollar to end world hunger. Or maybe you’ve dropped off old towels and blankets so they could be sent to some area of devastation overseas. Most recently, I was asked to donate bottles ... Read More
In my family, instead of Thanksgiving turkey, we pull out of the all-holiday ham. We will continue pulling it out for leftovers for the next week, starting today: RAK Friday.
Oh, I’m sorry. Did you think it was called Black Friday? Nah, that’s so 1990s. You know, when people loved standing in line overnight to get the new superfly boombox ... Read More
I have written more than 300 stories for this column, but I’d have many more to share if it weren’t for one tiny phrase that keeps repeating itself in a variety of forms.
“I don’t want to toot my own horn.”
“I hate to brag.”
“If I get my rewards on Earth, I won’t get them in Heaven.”
“I was taught to give in ... Read More
