Today is Ash Wednesday. More than 70 Episcopal parishes in 18 states will bring Ash Wednesday to the streets, kicking off the Lenten season with a twist.They’ll offer the Christian sign of repentance — a smudged cross of ashes on the forehead — to anyone who seeks it in train...

One of the creepiest mistakes I ever made was getting off at the wrong subway stop, at the wrong time of day, while traveling by myself when I lived in New York City.  I was making my way from Upstate NY where my husband (then boyfriend) attended college, to my home closer to the city and we...

The most famous swordfight I know about is Inigo Montoya and the six-fingered man in “The Princess Bride.”  Remember how in the Baz Luhrmann remake of “Romeo and Juliet” the swords were guns?  I always thought that was a cool twist.  Swords don’t make much sense any more.  Last...

[amazon_enhanced asin="0849946158" /] Clint and I recently received the book Heaven is for Real as a thank you gift.  I had never heard of the book before, even though it’s #1 on the NY Times bestseller list.  I read books based on word of mouth or I stick to my favorite authors.  And I...

It was sometime during the fourth grade that my ten-year-old nose was coerced into cohabitating with a pair of spectacles. At least that’s the year they began showing up in school pictures, little pink cat eyes that made me look perpetually shell-shocked. I hated wearing them, and finally...

Part 3: The Tree of Life The wilderness, the unknown, the future – these are the things that trouble us throughout our lives.   For many of us this existence is a scary thing.  We try not to think about it so much but sometimes we can’t help it – or at minimum I can’t help it.  So...

The other night I was out running. Being a night owl, I do most of my activities in the dark. So while out running I saw what looked like flying candles with parachutes. There was one, then two, then four and I started running faster to get a better look but then they would disappear. I...