Magical Memoir Moments
Finding a Public Voice: At Homecoming
Seth Godin says that you can tell whether or not you have a tribe by discovering they miss you when you don’t show up. I didn’t post last Wednesday, and I didn’t send out a Magical Memoir Moment on Thursday. You probably thought I was just contemplating life beside the lake. Or watching the mist…
The Shadow Side of Birthdays: The Side We Can’t See
I grew up listening to “Keep On the Sunny Side” as I helped to milk cows morning and night. It was the intro to the local radio station’s country and gospel music program. I never saw the Carter Family in person, but here is Mother Maybelle and her famous guitar and famous daughters. Look at…
Escape to New Zealand: Taking You With Me
New Zealand helped me escape. Tolkien, the author of fantasy novels about hobbits, would approve. Now the challenge: to see and remember the wisdom of an enchanted land, and then to share it.
How #70 Became 70: A Tribute to the Linebacker of My Life
My husband Stuart turns 70 today. I found an old photo of him as a high school linebacker wearing #70. It led to a meditation about Stuart’s role as the linebacker of my life.
How I Found My Word for 2016
My word for 2016 arrived just in time for Epiphany, the holiday we celebrate today. The timing is perfect! Learn how I found it and share your dreams for 2016.
Gliding, Swinging, and Proposing: Love in Motion
My father proposed to my mother while they sat on a porch glider. Stuart popped the question on a double seated swing. Forty-six years later, love is motion.
Witnessing for Peace: Then and Now
Where have all the protests gone? A visit to Washington, DC, illustrates the change from the protest May 9, 1970, to the current “war is not the answer” signs in front of the White House.
Keeping the Spark Alive: Spontaneous Combustion
Nothing ignites a routine like a sudden shared vision for adventure. A recent spontaneous trip to Washington, DC, brought back memories of other quick decisions and short trips, starting in Virginia Beach.
Wedding Blessings Revive the Magical Memoir Moments of Childhood
Weddings produce Magical Memoir Moments by their very nature. They fill us with hope. Parents feel a special joy tinged with sadness. Mothers often weep inside as they embrace daughters. The most popular blog post I ever wrote shares the wedding blessings Stuart and I gave to Kate and Nik in 2010. We instinctively chose…
The Red, Red Rose of Memory: A Surprise Update
This rose is 48 years old. When it dropped from my shoulder in the dark, my date promised to come back the next morning and look for it. He found it along the path we walked on College Avenue. Why do I still have this rose? Because my “date” became my husband. And his trip…