Note 1: I had a dream last night that I was at a party for people who had just been diagnosed with cancer. I awoke suddenly, and the first thought that came to my mind was, “Oh my gosh! Cancer! That would be AWFUL!!!”
Then I tried to roll over and realized my body was propped up into place with pillows ... Read More
I’m supposed to be writing a column on kindness right now. There are so many stories of kindness floating around in my brain, but I can’t seem to catch hold of any of them long enough to actually write about them. I just keep thinking about tomorrow (my pre-op appointment) and next Tuesday (my mastectomy).
I’ve called The James twice to ... Read More
I made it through my first public speaking event post-cancer diagnosis! I’m sure it would have been much better had I had a professional speech writer, but since none of you offered your expertise in that area, I muddled through on my own.
I talked about being a kid and visiting my mom’s husband in prison and about becoming Miss Wisconsin ... Read More
Just after moving to Ohio, I did something really weird. I was standing in line at the tiny neighborhood grocery store when a man came up behind me with a case of beer. He had to hold it because my groceries were taking up the whole conveyor belt, so I shoved some things forward and said to him, “That looks ... Read More
It came out in the paper yesterday. It wasn’t really a shock, since I’m the one who wrote it. I thought I had better use my weekly column to tell people about the cancer diagnosis before they heard it somewhere else. It’s been a year since we moved away, but I still have so many friends in Fargo and I ... Read More
I used to think kindness was all about the money. Boy was I wrong. Anyone can walk by a beggar on the street and throw some coins in a can. But the person who stops, kneels down, looks that beggar in the eye and says, “Hey, I care about you because my creator cares about you” is the person who ... Read More
There is a woman in California who may love kindness even more than I do.
I know, it’s shocking. Her name is Marla and I’m thinking of road-tripping to sunny California to see if it’s true. I may even be able to write off the trip off on my taxes next year under the heading “research.”
Anyway, when Marla emailed me about ... Read MoreThe other night I put my kids to bed an hour and a half before their regular bedtime so I could sit on the couch, eat Ben & Jerry’s and watch a Hallmark Christmas movie alone in silence.
I’m not sure what kind of message that is sending to my family, but I’m sure it’s not a good one.
I’ve got a ... Read More
A man came to my house the other day to repair all of those little things in a home that are too difficult to fix myself, yet not so difficult that they involve cutting my losses and just moving.
He actually came the first time to convince the mice who had moved into my basement that they’d be better off finding ... Read More
It’s been six months since the moving truck pulled out of my driveway in north Fargo and made the 16-hour trek to Athens, Ohio.
Six months. That seems like such a long time. By all outward appearances, we are settled into our new life: my husband’s face is on posters all over town announcing the basketball schedule; my kids have play ... Read More
