This afternoon a persistent little pang told me I was hungry. Heart hungry. I knew just what would satisfy it, too. I called Grace. We talked for a while about various subjects. Then, after a momentary silence, she said, “I need to tell you something.” * * * Time for some backstory. (I’ve been doing […]
Three entries ago I mentioned a phone call and a voice from the past. I also promised to tell a story. Well, gather ’round, children. What you are about to read is true. Once upon a time, a college student named Amy lived with us. In fact, if you search the ancient scrolls of this
“A friend has to give it to you.” ~ The Book of Sunshine Read More »
You know how sometimes memories just pop into your head, and you wonder what on earth prompted that particular recollection to fly out of its dusty brain file and land on the screen of your mind? That happened to me today while I was jumping rope. I don’t know. Maybe my mind tries to compete
Consumers and Savorers Read More »
If you don’t want to understand love . . . If you don’t want to learn how to pray . . . If you don’t want to carry an exquisite ache like a chunk of molten gold — never cooling, but weighing with a constant pressure on your heart — don’t become a mother.
Advice for the day. Read More »
After lunch I unwrapped a dark chocolate Dove Promise and, as always, read the “promise” printed inside the foil wrapper. Note: these little sayings do as good a job at making promises as fortune cookies do at telling fortunes. A typical fortune cookie these days provides lottery numbers and says something like, “Watch your cholesterol.”
“Live your life without regress.” Read More »
When I took Ana home this evening, her mom, Victoria, ran out the door and flagged her arms to get my attention. I rolled down the window. She said something in Spanish, and Ana turned and walked back toward the car. Her adorable little sister, Natalia, stood on the porch jumping up and down, waving,
Five candles for a fairy princess Read More »
This year marks a critical shift in the universe. Okay. Maybe not the universe. Maybe just the solar system. But the significance of these events should not be overlooked or minimized. Irreversible changes are about to take place, and nothing will ever be the same again. By the end of April a line will have
Stones on the miles Read More »
These have been an interesting couple of weeks. For starters, we spent Christmas in a Holiday Inn in downtown Mansfield, Ohio. We couldn’t have chosen worse timing for our departure for Ohio if we’d consulted a sadist at the weather bureau. The nasty winter weather joined us before we’d made it out of East Texas,
There need be no bewilderment . . . Read More »
“Alma Mater” is Latin for Cherished Mother. You’d think your “mother” would remember important things about you, like what you majored in. But Stephen F. Austin State University, my alma mater, is a little confused. It all started about ten years ago with a phone call. An SFA student–no doubt just trying to make a
I’d been warned that the piano tuner was a crusty old guy. But he’s good at what he does, so I was willing to put up with his salt. Besides, I’m always eager to meet an interesting character. When I called him last week and described my upright grand, I could picture him rolling his