Several months ago, when we left North Dakota for Ohio, we moved into a lovely home tucked into a quiet, wooded neighborhood in the city of Athens.
Just before you turn to go up the hill into our subdivision, you pass a little log cabin. On first glance, it’s beautiful. Very shabby-chic. On second glance, it’s a whole lot more shabby ... Read More
I remember the first time I saw a $2 bill. I was about 5 or 6 years old, and I thought someone was playing a joke on me.
It looked real, but that 2 in the corner, where the 1 or the 5 or the 10 should have been just seemed so odd.I’ve run into a few other $2 bills in ... Read MoreHave you ever driven by a sign outside of a business again and again, always wondering what it meant but never taking the time to find out?
My interest-piquing sign is at the corner of Main Avenue and Fourth Street in downtown Fargo. By my math, I’ve driven by that Cenex station more than 2,600 times (You don’t even want to ... Read MoreI’m way out of season here, but do you remember that movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life?” My husband and I watch it every Christmas snuggled up on the couch. I start getting misty-eyed right about the time Clarence, the guardian angel, jumps into the river, forcing George Bailey to save him. When the town comes through for George at the ... Read More
If you haven’t pulled every red, white and blue decoration out of storage by now, you’re late. If that’s you, grab something colorful from your closet and then come back and finish reading this column.
The colors have been unfurled for a weekend of family, food and fireworks. While festive, I appreciate that combination of colors for the switch it turns ... Read More
The late, great Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi had a thing with time. His players knew there was “normal time” and there was “Lombardi time.” If you played for Vince Lombardi, you were 15 minutes early, or you were late. I used to operate on Lombardi time. I loved being early. I appreciated a few extra minutes to get ... Read More
My husband got pulled over for speeding the other day. Mr. Leadfoot has been teasing me for years about what a bad driver I am, so as you can imagine, I was delighted to be in the car witnessing the whole thing.
I’m also pleased to have the opportunity to write about this event in the paper and perhaps publicly embarrass ... Read MoreI remember two things from the end of my grandfather’s life. I was a very little girl, but I remember his eyes and I remember his stories.
His eyes were normally blue, but on this final visit, they were almost turquoise. They were extraordinarily bright, shining, a little damp-looking, and not exactly focused on the people or things in his nursing ... Read MoreEarlier this month, I had the privilege of speaking to about 500 people in my church sanctuary.
I told those people about my life growing up. I talked about visits to a prison to see my mom’s husband and about struggles with addiction during my years as a young mom.I had one main point: Kindness doesn’t just make the world a ... Read MoreA friend recently asked if kindness ever comes back to bite me. She was struggling with the decision to continue extending kindness to people who just weren’t playing along. She felt as if all of her efforts were being done in vain and wondered if it was worth it.
My answer was, “Yes, I’ve been bitten.”
There are times when people are ... Read More
