I love stories: Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall Stories – and Christmas Stories: Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, The story of Saint Nicholas of Myra – oh, how I loved that story – a story of being seen and cared for when we feel unseen and hopeless. Then there’s It’s a Wonderful Life, A … Continue reading →

I’ve been trying to catch my breath. . . so I baked. I baked a Chicken & Cauliflower Rice recipe from I Breathe I’m Hungry. I made a Flourless Chocolate Torte – and Lavender-Pumpkin Scones. I found all kinds of pumpkins – and exchanged Summer with Fall. Then I Fall Cleaned – much like Spring Cleaning. It was a deep … Continue reading →

I remember turning my completed thesis in to The Dean of Graduate School’s Office and waiting, waiting, waiting. I’d pop in and ask – I was on pins and needles. I’d fought an uphill battle to get to that point. My initial thesis-adviser kept sending other students to persuade me that creative writing was not my thing – if I … Continue reading →

My three-year-old grandson sat on the kitchen counter stool. It’s a favorite place for little boys who want to be bigger than they are. To sit on the stool at the counter is to sit shoulder to shoulder with his uncles. All the little ones strive to climb that mountain and prevail. I stood across from him making lunch. He … Continue reading →

One of my sons and his sweet wife were talking about soup for dinner – tomato soup to be exact. It was cool outside, cloudy with a chance of rain. Tomato soup sounded good to me, too, so I volunteered to make a pot for after work. I’d never made tomato soup before, but tomato is a language I understand. … Continue reading →