I wanted Lauren very much.

I nursed her.

I was able to be home with her until she was four.

I read her stories. It was a mutual delight. I discovered Winnie the Pooh, and loved it. Lauren loved it too.

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I remember one time when Mr. Spring, who turned out to be a most wonderful principal, came in to observe my class.  This was before Mr. Spring understood my divergent style of my teaching. When Mr. Spring came in, whatever the question I had asked the class was, the children were giving their answers.

Mr. Spring became impatient. (more…)

I try to understand what God means when he says we don’t live our lives for ourselves. He definitely doesn’t mean that we sacrifice, yet we serve others. I have tried to understand what this means.

Sometimes I go to extremes. I am too self-serving or I erase myself too much.

It dawned on me this morning (more…)

The high school I went to, Classical High School, in Springfield, Massachusetts, had a motto. As I remember it was etched outside on the stone the school was made of. It certainly was framed and plastered on the wall you saw as you entered the school building. I never liked the motto.

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In Sleeping Beauty, the wicked stepmother had to be the fairest of all.

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Sara Gruen, the author of Water for Elephants, Riding Lessons, Flying Changes, and Ape House, knows how to tell a story. She knows how to create characters, imperfect though they may be.

I’ve read all of of her novels, and each is spellbinding. I cannot tell you what her secret is, (more…)

I remember reading of a primitive society, and I’m sure you’ve heard this too, when someone stole, for example, the whole tribe met in a circle, and the thief was in the middle. The thief was not accused. He was not even labelled as a thief.  With everyone’s eyes on him, one by one, each member of the tribe told the person in the center what they liked about him. There were not punishments or tut-tutting. There were not courts of law pronouncing judgments. This was a practice of love.  (more…)

My daughter and I would often wonder about our two dear little dogs, Sunshine and Ginger — what did they think life was? (more…)

I have noticed people on this blog and on the forum who just naturally take on the courtesy and responsibility of welcoming new people who post. This is a great thing that people do. (more…)

In 4th grade with Miss Smith, we were going to do a play. There was an angel in this play, or one angel who was the star angel, and I wanted to be that angel. I so wanted to be that angel. My heart lit up with the desire to play the part of an angel. I can feel now how I felt then. It was a hope beyond hope that I could be that angel in the play. My desire to be the angel was as straight as an arrow.  The desire was to be the angel in the play and not so much the desire to be chosen, but  I had to be chosen in order to play the part. Where did the desire to be that angel come from and so strongly?

I saw Miss Smith as a cold stern teacher. (more…)