I have never understood the women who can carry one of those tiny little purses that barely has room for a credit card and lipstick. Where is everything else? Maybe they have figured out something I haven’t, because I leave the house carrying enough stuff to handle several minor emergencies and possibly an unexpected overnight…
At Home
Pull Up a Chair: September 18, 2026
Pull up a chair and stay awhile. I have friends I can go weeks without talking to and then pick right back up as though we talked yesterday. Nobody starts the conversation with an explanation about where they’ve been. There isn’t a long apology because one of us didn’t return a text three Tuesdays ago….
Things Around the House I Refuse to Replace Until They Actually Break
I have reached an age where advertising something as “new and improved” isn’t necessarily going to convince me that I need it. Is the one I already have broken? No? Then we’re good. I realize this probably makes me sound a little stubborn, but there are things around my house that I simply refuse to…
Pull Up a Chair: September 11, 2026
Pull up a chair and stay awhile. I come from a family that tells the same stories over and over again. I don’t mean occasionally either. We have stories that have been told so many times everyone at the table knows exactly what is coming next, and somehow that has never stopped the person telling…
How to Advocate for Your Aging Parents Without Losing Your Peace
There is a strange shift that happens when you start helping an aging parent manage their healthcare. For years, they were the ones making appointments, remembering what medicine you could take, telling you when you needed to see a doctor, and keeping track of all the things you never thought about. Then one day you’re…
Pull Up a Chair: September 4, 2026
Pull up a chair and stay awhile. I was thinking the other day about how you can tell how comfortable someone is in your house by what they do when they arrive. There are people who knock on the front door, wait patiently for you to answer, and wouldn’t dream of opening your refrigerator without…
Pull Up a Chair: August 28, 2026
Pull up a chair and stay awhile. Well, here we are. In just a couple of days I’ll turn fifty, and I have to admit that’s a sentence I never imagined saying out loud. I remember being a kid and thinking fifty was old. Not just a little older. I mean old enough that you…
Pull Up a Chair: August 21, 2026
Pull up a chair and stay awhile. I’ve been thinking about something lately, and maybe it’s because this is my birthday month. Maybe it’s because the older I get, the more I notice things I never paid much attention to when I was younger. Whatever the reason, I’ve realized that the things I appreciate most…
Pull Up a Chair: August 14, 2026
Pull up a chair and stay awhile. I’ve been thinking about conversations lately, and I’ve come to one conclusion that I don’t think anyone can convince me otherwise. The best conversations never start with small talk. Now, don’t get me wrong. Small talk has its place. It’s perfectly fine when you’re standing in line at…
Pull Up a Chair: August 7, 2026
Pull up a chair and stay awhile. I’ve been thinking about something this week, and if you’re anything like me, maybe you’ve noticed it too. When did we stop celebrating ordinary days? I’m not talking about birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or Christmas morning. Those deserve celebrating, and I hope we never stop making them special. I’m…
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