Articles

New Year’s Resolutions. They just don’t work. At least they haven’t for me. But here we are with yet another year behind us so it’s time to relaunch again. For years, I’ve fallen into a pattern in my resolutions: embrace healthy diet/exercise routine, mature in my faith, balance work and family life, de-clutter my home, etc. I’ve re-scribbled these resolutions for as long as I can remember, and each year I’ve had good intentions to follow through. What went wrong, you ask? I

It was not my plan to go shopping that day nor was it my plan to shop in the coming weeks on Thanksgiving Day. No, not ever. That is a day for families and for giving thanks for our many blessings — not for running to the mall to secure a deal in celebration of a birthday that was never meant to be focused on consumerism. While it’s beyond my control for the masses, I did have a hand in saving one person’s Thanksgiving. His name was Justin. In his early 20’s and full of energ

The lyrics will never go away, so I have decided to embrace them. And today, my 50th birthday, is time to proclaim my new mantra, “Hashtag Frozen” — code phrase for “Let It Go.” Is it exhaustion with the minutia? Wisdom from experiences? Or the fact that at my age I just don’t care as much? No, it’s actually that I care more. Relationships have become the foundation of my life, and I have been blessed not only with quantity but also quality throughout my first five decades. F

It has been a year since I first logged on to Facebook. I had avoided it for as long as possible, seeking to simplify my life by not adding yet another online account to maintain. My time on Facebook has turned into somewhat of an experiment, consequently not intentionally. In the process, I’ve gained new insights about my friends and, more importantly, about myself. My friends are all over the spectrum, but most are passionate — promoting political platforms, arguing about r

Move day was upon us and tensions peaked. Will we arrive in time for the mattress delivery? Do we need a bigger truck? Will everything fit in her new home? This was my fifth college move-in experience with my senior and sophomore kids, which by now should have earned me a M.A.M. (Masters of Arts in Moving). Throw in a long-ago overseas relocation to Japan with toddler in tow, and a doctorate should be a slam dunk. But there’s something about college move-in day that generates