One of my devotionals this week posed this question: “If you were asked to use one word to describe the Christian life, which one would you choose?” I was surprised by the author’s answer: good works. While service is certainly an integral component of the Christian life, works wouldn’t be the word I’d pick. Mine would most definitely be JOY. Too many Christians sleepwalk....

I am traveling this week but thought I’d pass along a devotional I read recently which seemed apropos. It comes from a gem of a book I picked up at CVS while waiting to check out. That decision turned out to be a wise choice indeed as I’ve enjoyed it immensely. The name is Once a Day Every Day for Women by Criswell Freeman. I’m not sure why....

Have you ever felt like you’re eavesdropping in a God conversation? It isn’t a frequent event, but it’s unmistakable when it occurs because they always happen unexpectedly and by what can only be Divine intervention. They are an example of how sometimes God shows up...

What’s a wedding without the postmortem? A friend once commented during a morning-after review, “You know it's a party when someone falls down. It was that kind of party.” Last weekend was no exception. My mother holds that dubious distinction, and it certainly wasn’t from over indulging or wild dancing. Nor were my husband’s back spasms, which kept us in Boston longer than anticipated. Both happened in the most ordinary and innocent of ways. My mom tripped getting into the elevator, and Bob simply bent down to tie his shoes – at least that’s the way it began. I’m sure being on your feet all day and dancing into the night contributed...

After a year with two memorials and a major health challenge, it’s been a joy to celebrate back-to-back family weddings. Who doesn’t love a good wedding? To me there is nothing more hopeful than watching a couple walk down the aisle full of excitement, eager to begin their new life together – the future pregnant with possibility. Plus, where can you....

Labor Day marks the end of a particularly laborious summer. I don’t say that in a negative way. This year just involved more physical labor than usual: gardening, sanding, painting, moving, scrubbing, and reorganizing. As tiring as those tasks sometimes are, there’s nothing more energizing than being part of a creative process whether it’s planting...

Finally got the finishing touches complete on that bathroom project I mentioned recently. While the plumber was installing fixtures, we got to chatting. I learned that his side job is spray-tanning women – preferably swimsuit models and athletes. He described his process and the paper thongs his clients use for maximum tan coverage. Curious, I inquired, .....

While walking with a friend last week, she was describing her recent trip to Montana. She recounted that her husband, an avid outdoorsman, can identify any animal by its droppings. Growing up in the city, I never knew that was a desirable or acquirable skill. The extent of animal diversity in Brooklyn was simply big or little, and it didn’t take a genius to figure that out....

I’m currently in the middle of two renovation projects – one intentional, the other by default. Project A was carefully thought out. Project B was born out of necessity and began unexpectedly without thought or direction. As you might expect, the designed one with blueprints went smoothly and efficiently with a general contractor managing all the moving parts. Conversely,...

We finally held my father-in-law’s memorial last weekend. Though he passed away in February, this was the first opportunity we’ve had to gather long-distance family and friends together to celebrate his life. My husband did an outstanding job eulogizing a complex man who was a study of contrasts...

My husband cut out an article from The Wall Street Journal recently that claims empirical evidence supporting the theory that attending church might be good for your body along with your soul. They even cited how frequency contributed to their findings. For example....

You’re probably disappointed I didn’t share any anecdotes from our family party last week. Here’s the issue: They won’t let me attend if they think I’m going to kiss and tell. What happens in New Jersey stays in New Jersey – though I’m usually the subject of many of the embarrassing stories. One niece wrote to me after the Christmas outing I hosted last year.....

Last weekend my family enjoyed a festive reunion to celebrate two high school graduations, two college graduations, a 40th, 60th and 90th birthday! Big families come with BIG celebrations because there are so many milestones to commemorate. As she was leaving, a niece I don’t see often said something that hit a cord:

One of the tips I learned at last week’s Frederic Buechner Writer’s Conference was to always have a killer headline. So I stole this one from a class I attended. What else did I learn? Who Frederic Buechner* is and that if I had a day job, I shouldn’t quit!

As of last Monday, Mom and Pop Movers has officially gone OUT-OF-BUSINESS. After driving a 15’ U-Haul into the city and back, Bob & Co. is eager to pay for professional movers in the future. When you include parking tickets, overpriced sandwiches ($100 for four sandwiches large enough to feed a small country), the bottle of wine needed to recover from the traffic and the lunch bill, plus the massages we both needed afterward...
 

Memorial Day represents more than a three-day weekend, barbecues and fireworks marking the official start of summer. Unfortunately, its true meaning has been diluted by retail sales and festivities that do little to commemorate the men and women who have died in service to our country. Originally.......

No post last week because I was too busy lugging ‘stuff’ – my daughter’s stuff, my son’s stuff and my stuff, which needed to be rearranged to accommodate their stuff. AND, we’re not done yet. One more move in June where we will attempt to squeeze my daughter’s bounty of belongings into a miniscule New York walkup apartment. Her hair products alone will take up much of the coveted shelf space. Luckily, I’ve developed......

Mother’s Day this year marks my advancement to yet another phase of motherhood. Today my daughter graduates from college. I couldn’t think of a better gift to celebrate Mother’s Day. It’s true that you never actually graduate from motherhood as it is a life-long commitment. Still, you certainly experience many transitions during your tenure.

Driving with two little friends recently made me nostalgic for the car conversations I often had with my kids. Grace (3) asked if I knew there was once a Princess Grace – for real!" I answered, “Oh, yes. She was incredibly beautiful.” Without skipping a beat, she replied with complete confidence, “Not as beautiful as me.” God bless the innocence of youth. When do we lose that? When do we start comparing ourselves to others and find ourselves lacking? 

A friend came over last weekend to assist with some gardening. She’s the kind of friend who doesn’t hesitate when agreeing to help, despite some odd requests over the years. She’s similar to Lucy’s Ethel, Laverne’s Shirley, or even Thelma’s Louise, though we haven’t driven off any cliffs – yet.