Magical Memoir Moments
Owen and Julia and the Amazing, Excellent, Superb, Splendid, Very Good Day
I’ve been on a quest lately to deepen my understanding of what it’s like to have a good day. We all know about Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day but what about the Amazing, Excellent, Superb, Splendid, Very Good Day? So I went to two experts: grandson Owen, age 3, and…
In Praise of Breakfast: Starting Three Good Days at The Bishop’s Hall
What’s your favorite meal? In the morning, at least, mine is breakfast. 🙂 And my last three breakfasts have started a good day with a bang. Here’s the table setting: Along with my two “Pilgrim Sister” friends, I enjoyed the hospitality at The Bishop’s Hall at our annual meeting, this time in Oak Park, Illinois….
Every Day Is All There Is: Defining a Good Day
Have you ever found yourself thinking about a subject and then discovered that lots of other people are doing the same? For me that topic is: what is a good day? Joan Didion’s words “Every day is all there is” came into my life via my daughter Kate’s business partner, Emily Levenson. She’s the one…
Rest, Rock, and Roll: Some Thoughts about Rhythm from the Road
We’ve been a rockin’ and a rollin’ again! We don’t exactly jitterbug like these couples, but we are on the move! In fact, I’m writing these words in Indiana on the way to Ohio. Last week we visited Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. This morning we started out with breakfast with a dozen people who attend…
Prairie Lights Bookstore, Faulkner, Carol Bodensteiner, and Me
Stuart and I are on the road again. This time we are driving instead of taking Amtrak. The prairie is our playground and this Sunday October 19 2-3 p.m. Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City will be our destination. In the meantime, we visit friends in various Wisconsin cities and Kalona, Iowa. Finally, I will…
Building "THIS": How an Online Course Has Inspired Me to Continue Blogging
A confession. After blogging for six years, I sometimes wonder if it is time to let go. Float away past the ether . . . Instead of blogging, I could take photography and painting classes that are part of the “road not taken” I want to travel. And speaking of travel, there’s that long bucket…
Does BLUSH Have a Sequel?: The Box in the Basement
Readers have been asking if Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World has a sequel. My honest answer is that I don’t know. However, this box has been whispering to me. “Come look.” From out of the stack of albums pictured below, a little voice squeaks: “Play me, Shirley, Shirley bo burley.” So, I am…
Blog Post #500 and a Six-Year Anniversary Milestone
It all started with a gift and a milestone birthday. I was sixty. My tech-savvy son Anthony was approaching age thirty-two. I cashed in his “gift certificate” in the next month and started blogging — without having a clue. No pictures. Just a few random words. But I at least had a subject. The blog…
Carpe Diem: A Tribute to Robin Williams
When I heard the news of Robin Williams’ death on August 11, 2014, I felt it viscerally, along with so many other people around the world. I’ve seen most of his most famous movies, but the one I thought of immediately was Dead Poet Society, a film I have often watched with English majors. The…