Who else is experiencing a tornado of emotions? Happy and content one minute before turning into an angry, multi-headed beast the next? Then crying uncontrollably later on that same day? For a change, this hasn’t been me recently. I felt more like this in May, June and early July of this year, but I’ve been …

View life’s interruptions as interruptions, not ending points. This is one of “Patty’s Points” in Patricia Heaton’s latest book Your Second Act. I consumed this book over the weekend in two days. I loved it. I needed it, and now I want to gift it to my closest friends and female relatives. These interruptions we …

Ever have a memorable, interesting and funny kind of week? That’s how this week has felt for me. I wanted to capture the top ten moments so here it goes – 10 reasons this week has been memorable: 1. I dropped a balsamic vinegar bottle all over the kitchen floor! Here’s the proof. I took …

Summertime is usually such a carefree, fun time. But this summer feels quite different. Many of us have felt very isolated and been physically distant from others since the COVID-19 pandemic began (mid-March 2020). In June I found myself slipping into an incredibly sad state of mind, possibly the beginning of depression. I was withdrawn, …

I just finished reading a dark, painfully but beautifully written book. The topic was heavy – about a ninth-grade girl who was raped and didn’t speak up about it. She fell into a depression and shut everyone out. At the end, she finally began to use her voice and was on the verge of telling …

I’ve had several friends and co-workers ask me lately how I feel about turning 40. And the truth is that I feel good. Not jumping for joy ecstatic happiness, but I feel comfortable and cozy about it. I’ve been thinking about it for the past year and getting used to the idea that I will …

Have you ever really put thought into your day and recorded how you spend your time? On New Year’s Day 2018, I did just that. I was intentional in how I spent my day, hoping that it could perhaps set the tone for the year ahead. I made time for each member of my family. …

My spouse and I re-watched a film over the weekend, “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” We sat down to soak it in again after we saw the sequel in the theater. In it a line by main character and mentor Colin Firth was said to a rookie kingsman in training Taron Egerton. The phrase really struck …

I recently had the privilege of speaking to a group of 50 teachers for the National Writing Project conference at the University of West Florida. I delivered an hour long presentation on my writing background and experiences writing as a child. In addition, I shared how I came to write the book Kazoo Makes the …

How does a writer like me re-energize and stay inspired to keep writing? The answer to that changes daily. But today my inspiration came from a whole room full of people, mostly educators dedicating time on a Saturday to help promote writing and reading among the youth in our community.  It was a humbling, amazing …