The Promise
According to an article in Psychology Today magazine, keeping promises is good for us. It means we have made a commitment and strive to live up to it. I surely know something about making promises to oneself. In recent years I've…
1st Day of Summer
Looking back, "Summer was not about the list of things you did, it's about the feelings that came from it." ~ Sue Batton Leonard School's out and it's officially summer! I couldn't resist posting this image which reminds me of my youth,…
Educating the Heart
It's a fulfilling day when an opportunity to learn something more about the art of writing comes along! Last week I had the chance to attend a writers workshop with Walter Bargen, the first poet laureate of Missouri. We discussed elements which…
Summer Service
Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows. ~John Betjeman, Summoned by Bells I strolled slowly, rather than going at the heart-pumping fast pace of my usual daily walk. Took time…
Reasons for Being
Have you ever noticed during some of life's most difficult transitions we make some of the best friends. For example when we go off to college, change jobs, relocate geographically, lose someone significant, or become parents, others come into our…
Never an End
"Laundry, the never ending story..." Clotheslines remind me of my grandmother, mother and my dear Fanny, a woman who was another beautiful figurehead in my life. If you are a baby boomer like me, hanging clothing outside to dry used to be…
Pioneers in Research
Today I am honoring two freedom fighters. Helen Taussig and Alfred Blalock, cardiologists whose pioneering medical research led to my freedom from ill health. I’d like to say thank you to all people who contribute in some way to make life better…
A-Heart-for-Others
On this Memorial Day weekend, let's explore Freedom fighter Harriet Tubman. She had a love so deep in her heart for her fellow citizen, she risked so much. Posthumously this extraordinary woman’s story of what she sowed for the future of…
Fulfilling Work
On Day #1, November 1, 2014 at the start of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) I made a deal with myself. It went like this - "JUST TRY IT! GIVE FICTION WRITING A CHANCE." To seal the deal, I bargained "Give it…