When I first started writing this “Kindness is Contagious” column nine years ago, I misunderstood what “weekly” meant.
The publisher said, “It’s a weekly column.” I heard, “Write it when you have something to write about.”
I asked readers to send in their stories of kindness, but I quickly learned to become an investigator of kindness in my own life so I ... Read More
I walked past the green and red shoeboxes and my heart caught just a little bit. I was in the middle of Hobby Lobby and my senses were overwhelmed with plaid pillows, glittery ornaments and ceramic Santas. But it was the tidy stack of boxes that held my attention.
Those boxes are a connection to the precious innocence of my now-teenage ... Read More
I planted a tree this weekend. Clearly I was somewhere other than Aberdeen, SD because no one plants trees in South Dakota in November.
But they do in San Diego!
Have you ever gone somewhere warm and sunny when everyone you know back home is freezing their weebles off? It’s kind of awesome.
But I’m not here to brag. I’m ... Read More
From the time I was about 10 years old I can recall seasons where a sense of hopelessness would follow me through the morning.
It was the oddest thing. Some days I would wake up and there it would be, sitting in the corner like a cloak insisting on being worn. I couldn’t leave my room without it. Other mornings, it ... Read More
Some grandmothers cross-stitch or quilt beautiful gifts for their grandchildren as lasting reminders of their love. Not Paula Larsen. The 75-year-old great-grandmother recorded a gospel album to give her family a special gift of love.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I popped in the CD. I certainly didn’t anticipate hearing the powerful, husky, beautiful voice that filled the air ... Read More
“This is your captain speaking from the flight deck. I’ve turned on the fasten seat belt sign. We’re about to experience some turbulence. Please remain in your seats.”
I think of those words as we head into this week.
Captain … turbulence … remain seated.
Even with our feet solidly on the ground or our seats firmly planted in a stable ... Read More
Being in South Dakota means I get to be surrounded by wide-open spaces. Most of those spaces are fields that grow the food my family and I so often take for granted.
But not today. Today I am grateful for the woman who sent in this story, who has spent countless hours working in the bubble of a combine harvester to ... Read More
I went to middle and high school with a girl who always seemed to bound with energy. She was nice to everyone, which meant she was friends with everyone.
Our paths have rarely crossed in the nearly 30 years since graduation. The last I heard, she was a police detective working in Milwaukee, Wis.
I got confirmation of that from another old ... Read More
I got back from LA late Saturday night. The whole family was wide awake and practicing their best (loudest and highest) opera voices.
The next morning I went out to collect a week’s worth of mail. No one thought to bring it in, or maybe they knew I would get a kick out of seeing how many things our mailman, Kevin, ... Read More
I saw a really cute free-standing shelf and chair the other day that I knew would fit perfectly in my podcast studio. Unfortunately, they were not the perfect fit for my car.
I reclined seats and pushed aside bags, but could not get the pieces to even wedge through the door. That’s when I remembered my car is a convertible! That ... Read More
