May 09
My husband and I recently returned from a breathtaking cruise of the Rhine River from Amsterdam, Netherlands through Germany and France to Basel, Switzerland. We basked in the beauty of more than 7 million tulips blooming at Keukenhof Gardens, marveled at the 13th-century Gothic architecture of the Cologne Cathedral, spotted 30+ medieval castles along …
Apr 04
Have you ever met someone and been amazed at the JOY and PEACE exuding from that person? Did simply being in their presence make you feel better about yourself and your world? I’d like to introduce you to one of those kind of people: my friend, Bola Montoya Taylor. Bola was a Filipino jazz …
Mar 28
Did I ever tell you about the time I sang in church with Roy Rogers? It was the fall of 1969 during my senior year of high school and my family was newly attending a small church in Apple Valley, California. One Sunday morning the four of us traipsed into the little sanctuary toward …
Mar 21
I can’t promise you that Abraham Lincoln really did utter these words, but they have been attributed to him as far back as a 1914 newspaper column, and I agree with Honest Abe—or whomever really said them. And I can promise you that our minds can have an amazing impact on our bodies. I got …
Mar 14
Do you start feeling a little funky in the fall? And by the time winter arrives are you downright depressed? Does your energy level disappear during the dark and you feel sluggish sans sun? Perhaps, you like me, have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression related to changing seasons. Now I must be …
Feb 21
“There is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Christopher Robin to Winnie‑the‑Pooh in Pooh’s Most Grand Adventure I love these words of encouragement from one best friend to another. They were the sentiment of a life-changing pep talk given to me in high school …
Jan 03
My 3-year-old granddaughter Abby is not the world’s best sleeper. She’s not the worst either, but definitely not as good as her brothers, ages 1 and 5. In fact she’s quite the master of “stalling” at bedtime and/or “needing” things in the middle of the night. You may be familiar with the toddlers’ universal …
Nov 14
As you can see I met Captain America recently—he actually stopped by my house the other day for a few hours. The Captain, a.k.a. grandson Benny, wanted to show me his new shield (Mommy, a.k.a. Wonder Woman-Shopper, found it in the Target clearance bin) and the pint-sized super hero clearly explained to me that …
Sep 06
These halls are quiet on a Sunday morning with only the sound of monitors to echo in the silence of large emergency room. Not this again. I am tired of this place. It’s been a while since I’ve stood here, and yet it comes right back as if it …
Aug 30
I know those of you who read this blog have many prayers on your heart. Prayers for yourself and prayers for those you love. The song below is more than a wish–it’s my prayer for you, not just today, but every day. It’s an “old” song I love by …
