At your house, the door’s always open. You love having a big group around your table any time; in fact, the more, the merrier. Family and friends never hesitate to stop by because you’ll make room for them no matter what. They’re always welcome. They know that. The door’s always open, but it’s also closed….
The lady in the picture was wearing the biggest scowl you’d ever seen. The photo was taken long ago and it made you wonder what happened that day to make her so snarly. Was there a death, lost crops, an accident, bad weather, or did the photographer make her angry? You’ll never know but you…
When you were born, your parents counted your fingers and toes. They lovingly stroked your baby-soft skin, checked to make sure all parts were present and accounted for, then they looked into your face and wondered what might become of you someday. They never asked for a refund because of your hair (or lack thereof)….
The rings are tucked safe in a box in your dresser drawer. Your finery hangs in the closet, right next to that of your beloved. You bought new shoes for the occasion, flowers are ordered, a friend is providing the party spot, it’s BYO food, and you’ve done a thorough job with informal invitations. Now…
In a still-expanding market of self-help books, many of which seem to overlap, Coming Out to Ourselves is a refreshing nugget. “Nugget” because it is short enough to devour in one sitting and yet leave the reader fulfilled. “Refreshing” because it focuses on succinct, relatable issues around which we can easily wrap our minds. The…
When you wake up in the morning, there are certain things you expect to be the same. You’ll have a brand new day, of course, but it’ll start where you ended last night. Your alarm will be the same, set at a time you probably know all too well. A surprise might await you at…
Change is good. It might be uncomfortable, especially if you like the status quo, but it’s good. Without change, we’d still be traveling on horseback, wearing crinolines and communicating via letters. No change, no out-of-season vegetables or sushi restaurants. We’d live without TV and Internet, and die of diseases that are now curable. Change is…
The shower has always been a great place to do it. In the privacy of your car is good, too. Nobody can hear you sing there, so you can belt out a tune as loud as you want and the radio is always there as a guide. At church, at the bar with friends, in…
A lot of the things you’ve done in your life, you’ve done just for kicks. You’ve taken dares to alleviate boredom. Taken risks on what-the-heck whims. You’ve done things legal and illegal for no other reason than that they were there, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. You did them just…
bookwatch BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER BOOK REVIEW Return to The Big Fancy by Freeman Hall 012, Adams Media $22.95 / $23.99 Canada 272 pages The holidays are coming. That means you’ll need a little extra. Extra time to go gift-shopping, for sure, and extra closet space in which to hide packages. More importantly, you’ll need extra…
