What makes one person a prisoner of hope, while another is mired in hopelessness? My “one word” for 2017 is hope, so I’m especially attuned to this word this year. And the subject came up again during a recent lunch with a friend. She asked me how to become a...
Today is the 103rd anniversary of the first electric traffic system installed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914. Four sets of red and green lights told drivers when to stop and go. The Cleveland Automobile Club praised the system, saying they expected that it was “destined...
“I can’t wait till things get back to normal.” Have you said those words recently? Normal. The good old days. A slower pace. Less hectic. Fewer troubles. Happier times. Not like it is today. Today has health problems. Doctor appointments. Conflicts. Struggles to find...
Most days I reach into the mailbox with disinterest. Bills. Advertisements. More bills. Rarely anything else, except at Christmas or for birthdays. After all, if someone personal wanted to contact me, I’d see their note as an email, text, or Facebook message. Who...
Did you know there’s a National I Am in Control Day? Really. And it’s observed annually on March 30. When I first learned of this dedicated day, I laughed. After all, I’m a self-confessed recovering control freak. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that...
Gardening is therapeutic for me. After spending much of my day writing and preparing to teach a Bible study, I enjoy the physical exertion of battling the weeds in my yard. Having lived in a large city for most of my life, I confess I labeled anything I didn’t plant...
The leaders from our Bible study shared prayer requests for the summer. We see each other twice weekly from September through May, so as I pray for these precious ladies it helps me to feel close to them during our off time. One prayer request has brought deep...
Last week I posted an update on my one word for 2016: joy. This week, in the interest of complete transparency, I’m posting an epic fail on the same subject. It happened during a recent trip to Cincinnati to attend a conference, trade show, and board meeting. I left...
I recently attended a high school graduation ceremony of a friend’s son. In his commencement address, the pastor told the following joke: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson decide to go on a camping trip. After dinner and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night, and...
I recently returned from a writers’ conference in Estes Park, Colorado, nestled in the majestic Rocky Mountains. When we checked in, our guest packages included a flyer titled, “Be Bear Aware.” The flyer is standard issue to all guests because apparently some folks...
Random Acts of Kindness Have you noticed that kindness seems more significant when it occurs randomly? Maybe...
National Umbrella Day Brolly, gamp, bumbershoot—all British terms for something better known to most of us as...
Living with Uncertainty Benjamin Franklin may not have originated the phrase, but he is well known for...