The art of mischief-making dates back to ancient history--like when I was in middle school, and we spent hours during sleepovers playing Truth or Dare and making prank phone calls. If this sounds like your story too, you--like I--probably matured over the years, and...

Well, vacation season is beginning,  and I have a challenge for you: Next time you’re in a roomful of people, shout, “Hey, anybody got a vacation disaster story?”  You’ll be there all night swapping tales of woe, I promise. This is not to say that vacations are bad—I...

Ever in your life lose a beloved pet? It’s excruciating. For many people, it was our first experience with heartbreaking loss. Unfortunately, none of us would be destined to escape the pain of losing someone or something dear, but one way to make loss more bearable is...

Once upon a time, I attempted to learn to ski. And in the process, I made a colossal misjudgment and ended up “snowplowing” into a very large group of people at the bottom of a very steep hill. I tried yelling something like, “Comin’ atcha!” or “Look out belowwww!” or...

I had heard of goat yoga, and was really intrigued when I read this description: Our one-hour goat yoga class is taught by a certified yoga instructor and offers a deeply rewarding, light-hearted and unique experience. The instructor will take you through a sequence...

Like you, probably, I have had to deal with a few bouts of body betrayal—times when the body does not cooperate with the desires of the soul--when your body is not behaving in a manner acceptable to you, and you are over it. It may be a serious illness. Then again, it...

Having a bad day? Then this episode might be for you. I understand that some days can’t go by fast enough. We just want them to be over. Recently, I found myself saying that I’d be glad when this entire month is done with because of current and looming unpleasantness...

I went to a prom not long ago, and I have to tell you that the night had hardly begun, and already everyone was absolutely, shamelessly drunk …on joy. It was so different from the prom misadventure of my youth. The prom of my adulthood, however, was a different...

Have you ever really wanted to do something, but thought, “Nah, it’s too late in my life for that.” Granted, sometimes over time, our physical abilities make certain endeavors unwise. But sometimes we tell ourselves it’s too late to pursue a dream…when it’s not. There...

In 1969 the Rolling Stones released a song that reminded us “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Mick Jagger sang the lead, and we all sang along with him, agreeing with our whole hearts. Years later, very early in our marriage, Ben and I learned the truth of this...

Author Toni Morrison, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, once said, When a kid walks into a room—your child or anybody else’s child—does your face light up? That’s what they’re looking for. My children used to walk in the room when they were little- I looked at them...

Someone gestured at me in traffic yesterday. Apparently I didn’t change lanes fast enough for him, and when he made a right turn behind me, he took that opportunity to honk his horn and give me an angry salute. I felt mad. Defensive. And I told myself all kinds of...

You are no stranger to crisis—especially if we define it as a time of great danger, difficulty or doubt when problems must be solved or important decisions must be made; a point at which change must come, for better or for worse.”   And if you’ve lived this...

Sometimes it’s hard to be yourself in front of God and everybody else. Prayer in the presence of others can be especially daunting sometimes because it’s harder to be totally honest when other people are actually listening. I remember standing in prayer circles in...

Little things can make a BIG difference. Listen in for a few examples of how this can happen, when I tell you about an “erotic goat,” a lady who committed herself to paying for at least one convenience store customer’s bill every week, and my grandpa, who threw...