In September I had the joy of sharing in a special Facebook live filming of “Fave at 5: Conversations onthe Purple Couch.” With me was our very own Karen Rae who talked openly about health challengesearlier in her life. Karen talked about physical limitations that for...

​Doing Life Together: A Message for My 21-Year Old Self #1 You’re Where You Need to Be Have you ever wanted to have a little chat with your 21-year old self? Any life lessons you’d share? I turned 21 the summer before my senior year at Pacific Lutheran University, the...

I love stories, all our stories. Our wisdom and experience give life a depth and a richness of color that far exceeds the beauty of fall foliage. Through our stories, we share seeds of love, joy, peace, and hope, seeds that bear much fruit, seeds that will become a...

We recently watched a video tape. Yep, one of those magnetic storage devices taking up an exorbitant amount of space in the hall closet. It was a 28-year old collection of scenes from our life as a young family. What captured my heart was a clip of our two boys...

Recently I was a guest on Cathy Cooper’s KKNW radio show, Loss and Found. We talked about how the loss of my mother helped me find my relationship with Dad. It was an honest conversation that became an apology for a lifetime of misunderstandings and mistakes,...

I am reading Charles Swindoll’s book, Esther: A Women of Strength & Dignity. He opens Chapter Four with the sentence: Life and pain are synonymous. I closed the book. I hate pain. I do everything I can to avoid it, to relieve it, to make sure it doesn’t return....

We had an earthquake this summer. Riding into the parking lot of my favorite coffee place later that morning, a news reporter stopped me and asked to talk about my experience. I looked back and forth between the reporter and his camera person and blurted out, “Guys!...

Last week I got a bouquet of roses from my husband, Kurt who was heading back to work after a short medical leave. The flowers didn't fare well, drooping after only a day. I refused to give up on them. And guess what? Two days later I walked into my office to see four...

I'm often asked for practical ways in which to "walk the W.O.L.K.," ways in which to share words and deeds of loving kindness. HOW DO WE PLANT SEEDS OF LOVE, JOY, PEACE and HOPE? We are surrounded by a mistaken belief that the really important stuff goes "viral." Not...

I love my two-year old grandsons. Not long ago I was getting preparing to read Enzo a bedtime story. He shrugged off suggestion after suggestion. No Cat in the Hat. No Digger Dozer Dumper. Finally I realized, he was asking for Alexa. ALEXA, REALLY? "Grandma's here to...

Last week while riding my trike (yep, a trike), I looked down to see a heart in the pavement. Three water caps were surrounded by sealant in the shape of a heart. I'd passed them countless times, but not until I altered my course and came from the opposite direction...

Those Divine Connections Growing up, my son Kevin spent a lot of time with his best friend Kent. Kent was so much a part of our family that I would frequently call my son Kent. Each time he would reply, “Mom, I’m not Kent.” And I would reply, “I know...

“But I’ll never write a book…!” When I speak about writing, I’m often approached by someone, eyes downcast, voice barely above a whisper, who says, “I have stories to tell, but I could never write a book…” Others never come forward, but I’ve learned to...

Sharing the Laughter and the MemoriesI love gatherings with family and friends. Laughter that fills the room. Memories retold again and again. New faces, new loves, new challenges, new hopes and dreams. You, too?When we get together, our family shares...