Louise Smith and I were chatting the other day about the desire for predictability, which obviates curiosity/fascination. What a cost that is! I've been chewing on that one ever since we un-skyped. Yes, I want predictable, stable income; and yet I ride the ups and downs of income as a self-employed person – for 32... Learn More

Chatting with Shelagh Brown today, I was reminded how times of the year can snare the psyche. She was in a post-Christmas slump and couldn't figure out why. (BTW, Christmas is a veritable hothouse for snaring psyches.) When we delved further, she realized that she puts herself on hold during the holidays, so that the... Learn More

The other day I was talking with my friend Bill Boothe about the necessity of getting a good support partner. I immediately felt swamped by sadness, which I quickly covered with anger. My outrage at God for 'taking' Sharon (Parish) bloomed again. I had thought I was through that, it's been a few years. Nope,... Learn More

I have 3 intentions for 2010 … the first one is to be more cognizant of having S P A C E  in my life – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I have noticed that I reduced the number of bookcases from 19 to 9 – that's a lot of books to get rid of,... Learn More

I racked up the air miles in 2009 with 2 trips to New Zealand, 2 trips to South Africa, and my trip to India – as well as 2 trips to Huntsville, AL and another 2 trips to Minneapolis. It's been a fast-paced year.  One of the things I am most proud of is the... Learn More

I knew Rebecca, Troy, Hayleigh and Chase would be gone to Wisconsin this Christmas – sharing the holiday with Troy's family. So without the kids here, it didn't seem worth the effort to put up a tree and lights, get out all the Christmas wreaths, candles, hand towels, tree bows, and miscellaneous tchotchkes that go... Learn More