While I waited to pay for gift bags at the dollar store, I overheard a conversation between the customer ahead of me and the cashier. Customer: “It’s going to be a cold, cold Light Up Night tonight.” Cashier: “I don’t mind. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I love the way everyone comes out…
It was my turn to checkout at the grocery store. The petite, dark-haired cashier hummed as she scanned bell peppers, eggs, and pork tenderloin over the flat glass. “What are you humming,” I said. “Oh, nothing in particular, just working to the beat,” she said. “You can’t stop the beat,” I said and pressed a…
I’ve just completed a six-week course called, “Appreciate Your Nondominant Hand.” I did not sign up for the program. It was a crash course—in the most literal sense. I fell backward and committed a cardinal sin: I caught myself with my left hand. The not-so-graceful move resulted in a clean fracture, but a fracture nonetheless,…
As the sun faded into the horizon on Memorial Day, I received a text from a friend. She sent a photo of a comment she happened to see on Facebook. The picture showed only a couple of sentences of a conversation. It read: “Some of the inscriptions are awesome – ‘I dreamed, I soared.’ ‘Love…
I’ve been counting to 40. And let me tell you, counting to 40 is a bigger emotional investment than counting to three. Yet, I remain forever grateful to my parents for that first math lesson. Learning to count to three was key to reaching 250, 1000, and, well, 40. I lost track of how many…
One Sunday a month, I help out with toddlers in our church nursery. Volunteering in the nursery is an important task, but my responsibilities aren’t what you’d call taxing. As part of my duties, I read aloud an abbreviated Bible story. Then, I assist the kids with a craft. If we have any additional time,…
My friends told me about a tennis player named Debbie Disco. I did not believe them. “Debbie Disco plays for the league across town,” said one of my teammates. “I’m sure you’ve met her.” First: If I met a woman named Debbie Disco, I would not forget her. Second: I was raised by a practical…
Funny how just a smell, taste, sight, sound, or a place can land us in the middle of a memory. The scent of homemade bread puts me back at the table in my grandmother’s kitchen. At the sight of a child clanging a triangle, I’m a second grader again in Miss Hatfield’s music class holding…
Last week, I attended my first swim meet in a long while. I saw my grand niece and nephew compete for my children’s alma mater—the Bridgeport Wildcatters. Within minutes of my arrival, I saw life come full circle: former teammates of my children have become the parents of the newest generation of Wildcatters. As I…
It’s no secret that Independence Day is special to me. It’s one of the most important holidays Americans celebrate. Now, more than ever, citizens need to remind themselves of the reasons we have lived safe and free for 245 years. Over the past several months, our country has suffered divisions of gigantic proportions in the…
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