I sat across the restaurant table from my husband on Valentine’s Day thinking about how much life we’ve lived together. It was one thing to …
Read More »Family Life
Piano Man
During the time my father and I rented a townhouse together, I was playing in a band called “Restoration” with Harley Wong, Perry Melynchencko, and …
Read More »Speak Once, Then Act
Someone once suggested that the best guide to discipline is just four words long: “Speak once, then act.” My cousin Morris Venden once described an …
Read More »Christmas All Year Long
I’ve always loved the Christmas season, not so much for the gifts as for the spirit it brings. I always enjoy all of the externals—the …
Read More »The Wonder of Jesus’ Birth
In 1967, Charles E. Hummel published a small book entitled, “Tyranny of the Urgent.” In it, he asked if we’d ever wished for a 30-hour …
Read More »Easy Come, Easy Go
Some years ago, a friend of mine was traveling in the West. He arrived in Las Vegas and checked into a motel. Along with his …
Read More »Unplug the Christmas Machine
Christmas of 1996 was the holiday-from-you-know-where for my husband and me. Despite the very best of intentions, I practically ruined everything by trying to make …
Read More »A Thanksgiving to Remember
Many years ago, I was a young Navy wife living in Long Beach, California. My husband, on sea duty, had been deployed overseas for eight …
Read More »Adaptable Dinner
“It smells like something is burning,” my son-in-law exclaimed. It was the night before Thanksgiving, and I could smell the pungent odor of smoke too. …
Read More »My Ugly Toes
“If we take her to the doctor, they can surgically shorten her toes, and then she might wear shoes two sizes smaller,” laughter shot across …
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