I learned the power of simple hospitality the summer I met Shirley Caldwell in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After just one year of marriage, my husband and I left behind all that was familiar to me when we packed up our car and drove more than 3,000 miles from Portland, Oregon to start our new life…
Sometimes it hurts to say what’s true. So we avoid difficult conversations because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. What we have to say will disappoint them. Make them feel sad. Maybe even break their heart. Or we remain silent because we’re afraid that someone might think less of us when they learn the…
It might seem ironic that a truth writer like me – someone who feels passionate about encouraging others to embrace the joy and beauty of truthful living – still struggles with the temptation to put up a less than honest, perfect façade online. That I still find myself wondering, “What’s wrong with picture perfect?” as…
I love encouraging others. I like to think I was born this way. But the truth is I haven’t always been very skilled at the delicate art of offering encouragement. When I was about six years old, I stood on the ground below a tree where my younger sister Barb sat on a low-hanging branch….
It’s true that deep and meaningful friendships are often formed while doing everyday life together. But if doing life together is the only basis for friendship, what happens when life changes? My friend Jackie and I met 31 years ago. Two newly married 20-somethings from opposite coasts who found themselves working together in Miami, Florida….
It seems like choosing belonging would be easy for me because I’m a natural “joiner.” My love for new ideas and projects, fresh starts and new beginnings has me saying yes to joining all sorts of things: book groups, health clubs, school committees, diet crazes, subscriptions to Stitch Fix and monthly home deliveries of organic…
