The gift of listening
I had just moved to a new country with my husband and family. That meant new schools for the children and a new job for my husband. It was a difficult time of adjustment... »
Personal Accounts
Pausing to care
I don’t know how she did it, but the cashier's eyes peered right into mine. I’d been discovered. I had tried to avoid eye contact as I was finishing the grocery shopping.... »
Net worth and breeding patterns of the common hug
The signs were nothing but rectangles of white-painted plywood adorned with bright red words proclaiming, “ABRAZOS GRATIS” (“FREE HUGS”), along with flowers, hearts, and... »
Plucking feathers
In my childhood farmyard in Pleasant Hill, New York, we always had an abundance of chickens roaming around looking for worms and bugs, scratching the ground for seeds, an... »
Long-tempered
I used to have my own definitions of longsuffering and patience. Longsuffering was putting up with something, and patience was putting up with nothing. The one was expres... »
Life happens
Sometimes, at the most unexpected times, we get little revelations that clarify perspective, give insight, and recharge our faith. I got one of those the other day. It ha... »
Creating space
I decided “better late than never” and ventured into something new and long overdue: at age 50-plus, I registered for lessons at a local driving school. To my horror, dur... »
I can’t stand her!
There are some people that we like more than others; and let’s face it, some people like us more than other people do. When I worked as a nurse in the emergency room of a... »
The marriage mirror
“Mari-i-i-i-ie!” My husband Ivo’s stressed voice rings through the house. “Where did you say my green shirt was again?” “It’s in the closet, on the left side, between you... »
Battered sails
After an intense period of work a few months back, I had been looking forward to taking some time off. I knew I needed to think about my future and plans in conjunction w... »
Not every wave is worth riding
With no other employment options at the time, my situation was not a happy one. My boss was making my life miserable. He was self-centered, ill-mannered, and crude; yet,... »
Heaven’s reflection
A friend was showing me a photo that he took at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden—a large park in the middle of bustling Tokyo. It showed a brilliant blue sky with green tre... »
Living with loss
Steve was a cheerful little boy with big brown eyes, curly blond hair, and a dimple that appeared on his right cheek every time he smiled. He had dreamy eyes, and often s... »