I wrote this in the early morning hours of Christmas 2022. I hate to admit it, but I had quite a meltdown the night before and I had to remind my very own self what Christmas is about. Enjoy … I woke up thinking about the quote from the Chronicles of Narnia where Mr. Tumnus […]

For mid-July, it was a cold morning. Gray clouds hovered over the pool and the summer breeze was brisk and chilly. And yet we gathered to swim. All shapes and sizes, ages and demographics. Some obviously athletic, others barely able to walk up the sidewalk to join the line. We were the faithful -- some […]

My kids are grown ups. They are all partnered up and self-sufficient and happy and healthy and I love them to pieces. Two years ago, after watching me heroically and miserably try to pull off the magical Christmas I thought they still yearned for, they all approached me gently and said, "We have a proposal […]

"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it" (Robin Williams) Before I got sick in Spain, I had 3 lovely days alone in Santiago, the destination city for most travelers (known as pilgrims) who are walking the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route in Europe that ends in northern Spain. […]

It's allergy season in Iowa and my husband is suffering. Sneezy, red, watery eyes, head stuffed. It's rough. So rough that we decided -- for everyone's sake -- he should sleep in our guest room for a bit. Usually this means I don't have to use the white noise machine placed perfectly on my bedside […]

My dad turned 88 on February 17. Yesterday!!! We celebrated with some of his favorite food, cherry pie, laughter, some new running shirts and a beautiful, royal blue golf shirt. He still runs and plays golf like a beast at 88 years of age. When he turned 80, he wrote a personal note to all […]