For many years, I ran a small out-of-print bookshop from the bottom floor of my home. My training came from managing a similar business in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Shortly before I left the city, a woman about my age was murdered by a … Read more

After years of childhood pain, I didn't love Christmas. I identified with the sentiments of Blue Christmas. I sat in darkness, spending time on a website called "Christmas Misery". I had plenty of memories of sorrow and loss to keep me … Read more

A man on a ladder across the street was cleaning out the eavestroughs of a small apartment complex. "Would you do mine when you're finished?" I called out. "Sure," he said. He came over about half an hour later, did a decent job on my … Read more

I once counted up the times that I have moved through my life — a total of 35. That meant moving everything — pets, books, dishes, furniture — sometimes to another country, city, province, or state — changing mailing addresses and … Read more

Sometimes, I find myself thinking that God has no more for me to do, as I am old. Then, I remember that the apostle Paul said that he was old, too, a vulnerable thing to admit. But lately, when people ask how I am, I say, "Elderly", … Read more

At the age of 17, I began working my way through Bible school, cleaning toilets all over campus at 5 a.m. I was shy and seldom off campus, except to run children's programs in a nearby church. One day, I wrote a short note to a co-worker … Read more

My son was banned from every hospital in our area for bribing orderlies to bring in street drugs for him as a patient. "What do we do now?" I asked our family doctor. "Try another town where they don't know him," he said. We drove many … Read more

I have a good friend, someone whom I can call in the middle of the night, but someone whom I was giving up on, due to her habit of interrupting me when I was trying to talk and talking far too much about herself. I thought about following … Read more

"A baby who has been left alone is being held down at the police station," said the message on our phone. My husband, the social worker on duty, asked if I'd go along with him as backup. When we got to the station, he went off to find … Read more

"Want to know my worst day driving a bus?" a driver asked me one summer day. "There was a woman on the very back seat with groceries in a couple paper bags. In one of them was a big watermelon. She was busy talking, not payin' much … Read more