Choices & the Value of Human Life
It’s such a peaceful afternoon, and the solitude is something I’ve been craving for weeks. I have pages of notes of thoughts and stories, and had every intention of...
Cake and Cole Porter
When you get real old, honey, you realize there are certain things that just don’t matter anymore. You lay it all on the table. There’s a saying: Only little...
Looking in the Mirror.
In a city with a median age of 32, it’s easy to feel ancient at the ripe old age of 50. The moment we moved to Austin, I immediately...
Tick-tick-tick. There is life here.
The metronome ticks. St Petersburg is alive. The sun rose over the Niva River as we journeyed to Orphanage 60 to speak to teens preparing for graduation. 60 is...
Beauty for Ashes
It’s Monday – our first full day of ministry in Guatemala. Our journey takes us to Cerecaif, an orphanage 20 miles from Xela. The orphanage was founded by a...
A note to my mom.
Hi mom. Wow, I love that word – “mom.” It’s just bursting with warmth and hugs and laughter and the smell of yummy things coming from the kitchen. That...
September.
A friend of mine who is a journalist asked me to send my “layoff story” to her as she researches how lives have been changed due to downsizing. I...
Friday and the Unfamiliar Road
It’s been 16 weeks, four days, and 1 hour (give or take a few minutes) since I became gainfully unemployed. I remember thinking as I was driving home after...
My “50 Before 50” List.
(she squirms a little as she clicks “paste” to place the list in this note). This year, if all works out, I will have the privilege of turning 50....
Words of wisdom from a man in a sweater.
I have no real profound thoughts today, as I sit in my office in sweats and baseball cap and wonder what road I may ultimately end up walking professionally....
Fear of the Dark
I awoke in the middle of the night – or is it really the beginning of the morning. And I couldn’t get back to sleep. I listened to the...
One of a Million, or One in a Million?
I saw Madagascar 2 this past weekend. It was a special date with my cousin, Julia, who is undergoing aggressive chemotherapy for lung cancer. We arose early, bundled up...
