For Alan

For Alan

For four years,you taught me lessonsnot held in any textbook.On the dayswhen academiabled me dry,you interceded,with laughter,with kindness,compassion,and humanity.You taught me howto apologize tothe world whenI didn’t want to say it;to be the bigger person,when it...
Dare to Dare

Dare to Dare

“I believe in giving everyone the opportunity to tell me no; otherwise, I’m not giving them the opportunity to tell me yes.” – Chrissie Anderson Peters In addition to writing, I sell Scentsy. Before Scentsy, it was Mary Kay. Before Mary Kay, it was Pampered Chef – and...
Happy Birthday #52

Happy Birthday #52

I awoke on my 52nd birthday, not to find a card propped up on the pillows beside me, or flowers on the table beside my bed, but I didn’t feel like a jilted lover because of it. My heart wasn’t fractured at all. (Even if he performed such grand gestures, Russ wasn’t...
On the Road Again

On the Road Again

August was insanely busy for me. In addition to taking the Magic Circle Summer Class with Diane Zinna each weekday from 9-10 a.m. and going to Table Rock Writers Workshop the final week of the month (when I missed the last three days of Magic Circle Summer), Russ and...
People ARE Strange

People ARE Strange

Over the years, I have seen countless strange things in public. I did, after all, work as a librarian for twenty years earlier in my life. And I am related to the people who make up my family. And I grew up in Tazewell County, Virginia. And I have been blessed to...