What We’re All Thankful For

I asked my students to write about something or someone they're thankful for. One thing. But then they asked if they could list more. Of course I told them they could. Olivia Johnson (Age 15): Food and Drinks. I am very thankful to have the ability to eat whenever I want and to drink clean …

Rescue the Table Fancy Like

This Thanksgiving, stop. Halt the cooking, put your flour-dusted, pumpkin-splattered ear up to the knobby pink mountain of meat and listen. When your uncle walks in wearing a Let's Go Brandon shirt and you’re tempted to rip it from his body, bend him over the table, and flay him right there, pause. When they’re late. Again. And …

My Mother in Heaven & My Children on Earth

My mom died. There. I said it. It still doesn't feel real to me, even though I held her hand and looked into her eyes as she left this earth. God's gift to me was that she not go alone, in a strange bed in a strange place. Abandoned. My heart could not bear the …

Starfish

My latest therapy appointment centered on my writing journey. A surprise to me because I consider myself The Little Engine that Could chug chugging up the hill. Who has time to consider how one feels about gravity? The forces of nature aren't going anywhere, anytime soon. Focusing on emotions in the middle of the journey …

This Happened. And I Choose to See it This Way.

First, some background. Like many writers, I'm an introvert. Which is to say, social situations give me the willies. Sometimes diarrhea. So when I was invited to participate in a Bible study with twenty other women, let's just say I was ambivalent. My dear friend brought me the study guide. The kind of book I …

Hi, Stranger.

I haven't posted in a while. And I'll warn you, this is all over the place, but I'm working on giving up my perfectionistic tendencies. Join me in a little wandering. Mr. Holland's Opus came to mind today. The movie about a man who thinks his greatest gift to humanity will be a symphony he's …

Bad Words & Kool-Aid

There are the usual suspects: just, very, so, well, really, like, that, then. And the reflectives: felt, saw, heard, etc. that insert space between the reader and character. Also and of course (thank you, Mr. King) adverbs- any and all. Especially after dialogue tags like said (which should also be used sparingly). She said sorrowfully. …

The fears we don’t face become our limits.

I doubt Robin Sharma was talking about research when she penned that. Researching books. Anne Lamott's advice is to actually speak with other human beings. She used the word "phone," at which point I began to skim, to mentally prepare my grocery list. I wasn't taking her advice, not at all. Like most writers, I …

I Have a Creepy Story for You.

Okay, 26 stories. But anthologies, you've got to love them. Where else do you get a perfect marriage of theme and diversity? Unique voices held together by a common what-if? The editors of Chicken Soup for the Soul understood the power of the anthology. One of my fellow Reds* has a story in this one. …

Unapologetically Tiger

Improvement is a battle that must be fought anew each day. Your next workout doesn't care how strong your last one was. Your next essay doesn't care how popular your last one was. Your next investment doesn't care how smart your last one was. Your best effort, again. - James Clear Today may not care …