In 1930, Watty Piper wrote “The Little Engine That Could.” The most famous line in the book is, “I think I can. I know I can.” Nearly one hundred years later, the lesson of believing in yourself remains the same. The Little Blue Engine never told herself or let anyone else tell her she couldn’t.…
Evergreen forests are home to a variety of pines. These needled trees retain their beautiful shades of green year-round. Their never-changing color makes them appear strong and healthy. Despite growing to soaring heights, pine trees are deceiving in their stature. Their strong branches can support a heavy snow load. But they can easily be uprooted…
Safety instructions offered by flight attendants before take-off are, for the most part, ignored. Their words are heard but not really listened to. The directions are to “Affix your oxygen mask first, before helping others. Even if the mask does not inflate, air is flowing.” Thankfully, most of us haven’t had to heed the warning,…
“The world is round” are the words my husband is most known for saying. More than just a phrase; it’s a way of life for him, one that he has instilled in our family. His statement has nothing to do with the shape of the Earth and everything to do with being generous. He’ll gladly…
Jane and Michael Banks had to take medicine each day. What the medicine was for, I haven’t a clue. It is beside the point. What is important to note is that the children found the taste awful. Their nanny, Mary Poppins, offered them a spoonful of sugar to remedy the situation. Mary’s theory was the…
April is National Donate Life Month, and National Pediatric Transplant Week is April 23-29, 2023. Donate Life is the national registry for matching organ, eye, and tissue donors and recipients. The Be The Match organization pairs bone marrow transplant recipients with non-related donors worldwide. As a parent of both a bone marrow transplant recipient and…
Love is an insatiable human need. When we give a gift we strive to make it the “perfect” gift, so why not strive for the same thing when we give love? Different types of relationships require us to love differently. There is romantic, familial, friendly, and self-love to consider. Not everyone needs to be loved…
Not many people are willing to put the needs of others before their own, but my friend Angela is that kind of person. In the past year she has endured significant health complications due to a combination of multiple sclerosis and covid. She’s been in and out of the hospital for lengthy stays, but that…
Flowers fascinate me. They are beautiful at every stage of their life. What seems fragile is remarkably strong. It’s amazing how blossoms know when to emerge and when to retreat. Flowers patiently sit below the surface waiting for the right time to appear. As they wait they gather their strength to push through the tough…
Recently, I was asked what I think it means to have grace. My answer was that grace and kindness are much the same. Both are gifts and there is no better gift than being kind. Having grace is a means to obtaining peace. The more I thought about it, the more it occurred to me…