(Don’t!) Put Another Log on the Fire(2 min, 26 sec) Musical confession: I like to polka. Second musical confession: Oblivious to the words or gist of the song, I have polka tunes in my head that make my feet start in on a polka jig. Consider…

(3 minutes, 15 seconds) The Appalachian Trail is a hiking path in the Eastern United States. The trail is 2,185 miles long, extends from Georgia in the south to Maine in the north, and passes through 14 states. In 2011 as an experienced hiker, Jennifer…

Imitators(1 minute, 57 seconds) A friend recently asked me if I knew who Sally Clarkson was because she thought I would really like her. She said I reminded her of this author/speaker because of Sally’s and my shared delight in candles in the winter, our…

Someone dear to me chose to pass on her tradition of sending a Christmas family picture and letter last year. Challenging circumstances had pummeled her heart raw, discouraging her from documenting the previous year. Christmas letters aren’t the place to process grief.  Like her, perhaps…

My husband suffered a terrible blow a few weeks ago. After working for a company for almost 32 years, his position was suddenly eliminated. His boss, his boss’s boss, and an HR person dropped this bombshell on him in an impromptu meeting, assuring him it…

(Advent) 2 minutes, 5 seconds I called gently from the other side of the door to my 22-month-old son who had accidentally locked himself in his room. He was too young to have much of a vocabulary, but he knew my voice and could follow…

(1 minute, 38 seconds) Personally, I have a beef with Mr. Incredible in the 2004 movie “The Incredibles.” After lying to his wife for an extended period of time about losing his job, Mr. Incredible steps back into the world of superhero business without being…

(2 minutes, 19 seconds) I am typing with five or six pieces of kinesiology tape stuck to my low back and hip. The girl who put it there, Carrie, is brilliant at all things biomechanical. The tape, placed in a specific and intricate pattern, lessens…

10-27-221 minute 41 seconds Being the parent of adult kids is like going through an automatic car wash.To stay on the track going through a carwash, you put your vehicle in neutral, keep your foot off the brake, and most importantly, take your hands off…

10-13-22 (2 minutes, 20 seconds) Country music fan or not, you’ve most likely heard of George Straight. I like many of his songs and enjoy the movie Pure Country, in which he stars. However, my personal ranking of George leaped a few notches upward when…