How do you feel when you are in the grocery store running late for an appointment and a person with three items walks up behind you in line? For me, there is an internal struggle. On one hand, I think, “I was here first and I’m already pressed for time!” On the other hand, I think, “I have around fifty items and she has three.” At this point, I have a choice. I can continue in line and let her wait as I have every right to do or I can spread a little kindness and let her jump in front of me. By the time I’m done loading my groceries onto the conveyor belt, she’ll likely be done and gone … [Read more...]

Baby, it’s cold outside; so, so cold. It’s funny how cold weather around Christmastime is accepted and often desired; but, as soon as the new year rolls around, we are ready for Spring to rescue us (or, at least, I am!).It’s difficult to stay motivated and emotionally content during cold, gray weather. I know because I don’t want to do much of anything besides cuddle under the covers with my heating pad. However, the winter shall not conquer me! I’m determined to enjoy my life even while it’s uncomfortable outside. Perhaps if I spent a week farther north, my central Virginia winter would … [Read more...]

“I wanna talk about me. Wanna talk about I. Wanna talk about number one, oh my, me, my... What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see... I like talking about you, you, you, you, usually, but occasionally... I wanna talk about me.” Perhaps the above lyrics to a 2001 Toby Keith song chorus sound familiar to you. It certainly sounds familiar to me! We like to talk about ourselves. We like to be the center of attention. Some of us enjoy being the life of the party; while, others of us just want to be the center of one person’s attention. Either way, we all like to talk … [Read more...]

Perhaps some of you are familiar with the song, Hello, I Love You by the Doors. Though the song was well before my time, I remember hearing it on oldies stations. Even as a kid, it seemed silly to me to tell someone you loved them before knowing their name. The Ecstasy of “Love” Most of us over the age of twelve can relate to the feeling of love. The deep, passionate, daydream-inspiring love that makes everything else in the world seem okay. It’s a feeling that’s hard to explain, but when it’s upon you, you know it. The first time I felt it, I was twelve – twelve going on twenty-one. I … [Read more...]

My friend recalls the first time she saw Eric and me together. Apparently, I was giddy and noticeably crazed with excitement. A couple of days after Eric and I became an official couple, one of my young middle school-aged friends at church commented that I was glowing. It didn’t take a detective to deduce that I was a love-sick twenty-something who could not believe she was living her dream. I could finally understand the Westside Story lyrics, “I feel pretty. Oh, so pretty. I feel pretty, and witty, and gay. And I pitty any girl who isn’t me today... I feel stunning, and entrancing. Feel … [Read more...]