As the final days of the year unfold, there’s a quiet invitation in the air—an invitation to pause, breathe, and consider where we are. Not just geographically, but emotionally, spiritually, creatively. We often spend our lives searching for the right place and the right time as though they are coordinates on a map we just…
The morning light feels softer this time of year — a little slower, a little more sacred. The air carries the scent of woodsmoke and memory. November has a way of making us pause. It’s the season of reflection — a time when gratitude rises to the surface like sunlight breaking through clouds. And among…
There’s a shift in the air this time of year—the first whisper of autumn as the mornings grow crisp, evenings fall sooner, and the leaves begin their fiery transformation. For readers, this season feels like a personal invitation to curl up with a blanket, a steaming cup of tea, and a book that sweeps you…
I was a WAC. Not wackadoodle, just WAC — Women’s Army Corps. Then we merged with the regular U.S. Army and I was simply a grunt. That’s what they called us low-ranking people in green. A million miles from home, I was the Battalion Commander’s personal secretary, of the 71st Maintenance Battalion in Nuremberg, Germany….
He rejected happiness as a personal pursuit of pleasure. Leo Tolstoy, the renowned novelist and philosopher widely known for his masterpieces such as War and Peace and Anna Karenina, had a complex and nuanced idea of happiness that evolved throughout his life. In his early years, Tolstoy believed that happiness came from living a life of pleasure, success, and…
I hope all those who celebrate Mexican culture and heritage on Cinco de Mayo have a wonderful fiesta. This festive fifth day of May has evolved from celebrating a day of victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 in Mexico to honoring the country’s traditions, food, music, and dance. But Cinco…
I love Christmas cards. I send out about 40 cards in the mail every holiday season. But each year the number that I receive dwindles. Now people send emails. Or they just post a blanket ‘Merry Christmas‘ to everyone on Facebook. This year, my sister and I came up with a great plan. This is…
Since Lady Luck doesn’t knock on my door as much as I’d like her to, I learned a long time ago that I needed to create my own opportunities that I want in my life. Sounds easy, right? And it really should be, though it often isn’t. I remember one time when I got a…
We can ask ourselves that question a dozen different times in our life, and come up with a dozen different answers. When I write a story or a novel, the character arc is the journey that the character goes on from start to finish. We start out a certain way, believing certain things, working toward…
…are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you. This is a marvelous quote from one of my favorite books, Illusions by Richard Bach. If you’ve never read it, I recommend it. In his brilliant and inspirational way, Richard teaches us to look at life…