Is anyone out there like me waking up each day with sadness? Is anyone else feeling discouraged every morning? Thinking about the empty streets . . . the empty parks . . . the empty calendar. Thinking about restaurant owners and everyone who’s lost their jobs. Thinking about universities closed, like Daughter #1's workplace in … Continue reading In the Mornings →

I was thinking about one of my first memories, a day of fear and confusion when I was about 7 years old. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew it was something bad. I remember jumping around our house like a scared rabbit, shaking my arms and feeling alone. My father was … Continue reading Still . . . →

Have you noticed a new mandate going around these days? Due to the spreading virus of public rudeness and spite, there is an uprising of reminders to be kind. You hear it everywhere.  Be kind.  Do random acts of kindness. Be kind to animals. Be kind to yourself.  Actually it's not new. I remember as … Continue reading Tenderheart →

I am sitting at a desk in a hotel room in Philadelphia. Jake and I are mid-trip, heading home after a wonderful, never-a-dull-moment-visit with our daughter’s young family in Spain. The 9-hour flight from Madrid yesterday was one of the hardest ones I’ve had to endure. I won’t bore you with my complaints but one … Continue reading Aloft →

It was totally new to me.  I’d never heard of sea glass. I was in West Africa for a week, speaking at an international women’s retreat. I didn’t know anyone there, and I was often alone. Took walks alone. Swam in the ocean alone. Not sure if my presence or my words mattered to anyone. … Continue reading Sea Glass →

It was a fun assignment. Each of us were to write a story titled “My Favorite Room” to read aloud at our Wetzel Reunion years ago. Here’s what I wrote:  “I have lots of rooms to choose from!  My family moved a lot during my growing up years (seven different houses) but I know exactly … Continue reading My Favorite Room →

2020 is here. Usually I am a “Yay! It’s a New Year!” person, but last week I was not. I was sad. Deeply sad. “Accumulated sorrow,” a friend once described it. Grief upon grief encircled me and stole Truth.  Courage.  And Joy. I was grateful when Sunday came. Due to traveling and illness, I’d missed … Continue reading A New Song →