There comes a time in life when you realize you’ve probably lived more years than you have left. It’s not a gloomy thought. At least it isn’t for me. It’s simply an acknowledgment of where I am on life’s journey. When we were young, life felt endless. We had all the time in the world. … Read more
Experiencing the Magic Somewhere along the way, many of us started believing that magic only happens in big moments. We think it lives in extravagant vacations, surprise parties, grand romantic gestures, or life-changing events that look beautiful on social media. We wait for something huge to happen before we allow ourselves to feel joy, wonder, … Read more
Navigating the Unknown One Day at a Time with Humor and Heart This is one of my more personal reflections — a warm, humorous look at aging, purpose, and embracing the unknown. It’s not my formal biography, but it is a true glimpse into how I see this season of life. Ah, the winter of … Read more
As I sat down in my chair on the patio and watched the ingredients in the bowl on my breakfast tray change from white to yellow, memories started flooding back. I had not eaten a bowl of grits with an egg for years. That is not until this morning. In fact, even the thought of … Read more
The Town That Became Home: A Love Story with Route 66 and Flagstaff It was early March 1961. After spending the first five months of our married life in Washington DC, Ron had finished his military tour of duty and we were on our way home to California. For me it meant a new life … Read more
“I hope in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you’re making mistakes, you’re trying new things, pushing yourself, changing yourself and your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before.” Neil Gaiman Every morning when I wake up, I consider it a gift — a fresh start, a chance to pick myself up, … Read more
Celebrating 84 Years of Living and Learning It’s Taken Me 84 Years to Learn All This — And I Still Have a Ways to Go Eighty-four years ago on a Sunday morning in mid-September, my mother gave birth to me at the Pensacola Maternity Hospital in Florida. A lot has happened along the way. I’ve … Read more
There are times when something makes you think of your own mortality. One of these times was when I read the other day that Steve Jobs died at age 56 but he lived life to the fullest. This isn’t the first time that I’ve been reminded that something makes you stop and think about your … Read more
Share Those Memories Before They Are Gone They will disappear with you! My mother made my dresses from chicken feed sacks. Not because she was creative — though she was — but because there was nothing else. Money was tight and the feed companies printed their sacks with cheerful patterns specifically for that purpose. When … Read more
Today marks the beginning of the third year. It was two years ago that I sat in the trauma ICU at my local hospital watching my husband’s blood pressure on the monitor beside his bed. It read 69—and it was slowly dropping. That was the moment I realized the ER doctor’s words had led me … Read more
22 Ways to Say “I Love You” Without Words I wrote this post years ago when Ron and I were celebrating our 57th wedding anniversary. He’s gone now. And sitting with these words today, I find they mean something different than they did when I first wrote them. They feel less like tips and more … Read more
You never know when you’ll suddenly happen upon an unexpected moment of inspiration. I only live a short drive from the Grand Canyon and have visited it many times. I’m not sure what I was expecting but the first time I ever saw it back in 1960, I was a little disappointed. Sure, it was … Read more