“A child cannot have too many people who love them and want to help them succeed.” — Unknown I never aspired to be a stepmother. Not...

“The love you take is equal to the love you make.” — John Lennon (Abbey Road) I’ve hiked for miles up and down the Big Horn Mountains,...

Though no two lives are alike, I believe everyone experiences moments they consider extraordinary. For me, the pleasure of meeting Edna...

Having been a teacher of both children and adults for over fifty years, my mind can easily wander back to the classrooms of my past. One...

“Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Those of...

You’d think by age seventy-six, my days of exploration and wandering might be over, but though I try to settle in, sooner or later...

I don’t like misplacing things and unfortunately that happens more often than I like. Sometimes I can’t find my reading glasses or my...

Standing in the middle of the cobblestone courtyard In the sweltering, ninety-degree heat, I pointed my camera at the colossal colonnades...

“You must never feel badly about making mistakes … as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being...

Each year, after what seems to be an endless winter in the Northwoods, I’m eager for a splash of color in the spring. One May I filled my...

When I was in my early 60’s, an age I considered somewhat old, yet still somewhat young, I had decided that ocean cruises didn’t fit my...

“If we all could see the world through the eyes of a child, we would see the magic in everything.” – Chee Vai Tang The older I become,...

When I was a child, being a show business celebrity appealed to me. I liked playing a variety of roles, wearing different costumes,...

February through March, as Northwoods temperatures dip and fall below zero, I limit my outside activities and organize my house instead....

“Give what you have, it may be better than you dare to think.” Longfellow Tis the season to be jolly, but holidays aren’t always joyful....

“Your desire to be near a window is your desire to be close to life!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan One morning while talking to my mother on the...

I’m not the person I was fifty years ago and I’m not the person I was a year ago. I keep changing and though my former selves seem to...

"Be an encourager: When you encourage others you boost their self esteem, enhance their self-confidence, make them work harder, lift...

I called my husband, Bill, from the car. "I can't believe this! I think I left my reunion clothes at home! Can you double check?" My...

The mailbox contained no surprises except for one. Unlike the local advertisements, retirement literature, and latest Handyman magazine,...