Enduring Their Absence It’s dark out there these days. The sun is setting early, it’s a bit gloomy and gray. The winter solstice is approaching and we’re all reaching for those candles and holiday lights to brighten things up a bit. Last week, I spent a few hours stringing lights…

When I was a young girl and would accompany my Daddy on deliveries, I was unaware of all that was involved in running our family-owned business. I just basked in the fun of being with my favorite person and he never seemed to mind. I would quietly watch him install…

It took a long time for me to be completely comfortable doing things like solitary beach sitting. I’m solo on the beach today, but I’m not alone. There are couples and families all around me. I’m hearing Otis Redding quietly sing “Sittin On The Dock Of The Bay” from somewhere…

The Southern Kind It wasn’t unusual for Mama to rise early and bake. If we were lucky, she was baking for us. More often than not, she was baking for joyous reasons like a church function, a wedding, baby showers or family reunions. …

PILLOW MUSINGS Odds are you have at some point utilized visualization, guided imagery, relaxation or meditation techniques to wade through and manage the ups and downs of life. You know, those times when you really need to take a step back and let go. I bet you’ve taken in a…

The Beautiful Imperfection of World Order Prologue: This is an opinion piece stemming from my great respect for those who fought in WWII. I use the words World Order and World Peace interchangeably as, in my mind, they are one and the same. I am not a journalist or politician…

Prologue: To mark the two-year anniversary of the Covid Shut Down of 2020, I am sharing an essay I wrote the month of March that year. With the exception of adding a recipe at the end, I have chosen not to update it. I think it is important to leave…

I’ve seen it happen multiple times. The hand reaches out to scratch the top of a nose, fingers touch and twirl angel-wing-shaped ears and a palm cups a sweet head. It doesn’t take long for the smiles to come and, sometimes, tears start flowing. The stress hormones that keep us…

These days, she sits in our garage because her roof leaks. She’s a heavy rainstorm away from becoming a rolling aquarium. Her CD player is broken and will hold The Doobie Brothers, The Eagles, and Alan Jackson captive until the end of time. The neon orange engine light perpetually glows…