As you read this, I am in the air flying my way to the northwest corner of Spain. As I have said before, this trip is not what I thought it would be since I cannot walk the Camino with my friends due to a knee injury. However, the alternative is not too shabby - […]

Laughing together at old jokes, old memories, old failures. And then crying together at the thought of losing our old dog; the dog of our middle age. Sitting quietly drinking coffee and reading, briefly catching eyes, flashing a slow smile that says, "I could sit here with you forever." Fitting into the crook of his […]

I leave for my modified Camino on Tuesday, September 3. I thought I would be packing a suitcase filled with wool socks, hiking pants, blister band-aids and rain ponchos. Instead, I am curating my reading selection, packing cute dresses for evening meals, scouting out coffee shops and wine bars, and loading up a brand new […]

Anyone else give up tending to their flower gardens about now? The heat and humidity, the triumphant weeds, the mosquitos out for blood. All my springtime energy has faded and my new mantra is, "I'll work on that next spring ..." I feel kinda' bad about my attitude, though. My flowers are out there doing […]

I love how author Brian Doyle writes about prayer: "I have never thought that prayers of request can be answered; I do not think that is the way of the Mercy; yet we do whisper prayers of supplication; I think we always have, since long before our species arrived in this form. Sometimes I think […]

When my daughter was young, she had a ruthless Eastern European piano teacher. Ruthless. My girl was learning to overcome some shyness and self-consciousness, and we had hoped learning to play the piano would instill confidence. Not with this instructor, though. Our daughter practiced and practiced, playing the same song over and over again until […]