When we were young, we had chores. It sounds like a simple concept, yet one that seems to have gone by the wayside in many families today. My mother is what most would consider a clean freak. This is not to be confused with a germaphobe. She was fine sharing drinks or a taste of…

Every morning most of us are faced with the image of ourselves staring back from a mirror. Maybe it is as you brush your teeth, or walk past a hallway decoration, or as you check your appearance in a floorlength mirror in your room. What do you see? Many a day goes by that I…

The movie, Groundhog Day, has become synonymous with feeling like you are repeating the same experience again and again and again. Teachers are in a continuous loop of the first day of school with all of its jitters, excitement, and anxiety every August or September. The only difference is that if it has been a…

My oldest son, Brandon, moved into the apartment over our garage when he was nineteen. He stayed there until he moved in with his girlfriend, Emily, and her two children at the age of twenty-five. We went through the pandemic, and a crazy thing happened to the housing market: you could sell your house for…

Every single weekend it’s the same thing; a mad dash to try and finish everything you couldn’t get to during the week because of work. Cleaning the house, doing the laundry, paying the bills, planning meals for the week, and grocery shopping all quickly gobble up any hope of rest and relaxation. How can a…

I never had a green thumb. In fact, I used to tease that the only reason I was able to keep my kids alive was that they made a lot of noise when they were hungry.  Then, my mother-in-law introduced me to the world of herbs. At first, it was for decorative reasons. Her backyard…