This is a photograph on my wall. It’s on my birthday, ten years ago. I’m with my friend, Haydee, who passed away a week and a half or so later. She’d been fighting ovarian cancer for five years. Haydee had been fighting something else for much longer, maybe her entire life. She fought against … Read more

Some are calling this “the year of the woman.” I would love for it to be the year of “eyes wide open.” The year when, collectively, we stop looking the other way, stop accepting bad behavior as just “boys-will-be-boys.”   A group of women in Paris have denounced the #metoo movement. I just don’t get … Read more

    On my mother-in-law Sandy’s wall, there’s a sign that says, “Do one thing every day that makes you happy.” Other than giving me permission to eat gnocchi every day, this inspires me to go a little deeper than pleasing my tongue and tummy every day with tiny potato dumplings.   After I crawl … Read more

  I love Oprah because, well, Oprah. I loved her before but like many, I was deeply moved by her acceptance speech last night. After the video montage of her accomplishments, I thought, Whoa, this woman has a legit legacy. But in her acceptance speech, rather than bask in the glory of her accomplishments and … Read more

  I hate name tags. I’ll put one on at an event if I must, though if I do, it will eventually, accidentally on purpose fall off (faulty adhesive or . . . whatever). While I typically am pretty good at understanding why I feel a certain way, I don’t know why I loathe the … Read more

  I saw this face for the first time in a Kansas field, in 1976:   “The summer following my freshman year, I was at a church camp in Wichita, Kansas, and was walking alone, crossing a field. I spotted someone coming in my direction, also alone. As this person got closer, I could see … Read more

    I’m not trying to pick on a gender when I say, “nice guys, powerful guys, smart guys” and now, as of breaking news today, “funny guys.” I’m just looking at statistics when I say guys. I know cancer is not limited to one gender. And there’s nothing funny about it.   We’ve been … Read more

(Warning: Parental guidance suggested. Frightening images.)     So as not to disturb, a fine gentleman and his respectful wife tip-toe in through the back door of a community meeting already underway. The group of at least a couple hundred people are seated in circular formation. There appears to be no open seats, so the … Read more

  Last weekend John and I were walking out of Sidecar Doughnuts and I looked back not so unlike Lot’s wife. But rather than turning into a pile of salt-and-butter doughnut, I noticed the sign painted on their window and I thought of the scripture about God’s mercies being new every morning. I know what … Read more

  I really don’t like speaking of Stacie in the past tense for a few reasons. One, I miss her, and past tense phrasing reminds me that she’s gone from this earth. Two, I fully believe she’s more alive than ever, so she’s definitely not “over.” And three, for all I know, maybe she can … Read more