Last year, my neighbor Sam passed away unexpectedly. Though Sam and his wife had been like surrogate grandparents to them, neither of my kids were able to attend his memorial service. So when my…

Last month, Mike and I were driving home from an event in downtown San Antonio. We were making our way through a part of town we’d visited more often when our kids were young,…

Last week, I offered some suggestions for moving on from the difficult moments life presents. When we’re in the throes of trauma, sometimes taking a single step forward feels overwhelming. But once you get…

I’ve written in the past about the good advice I’ve received from various people in my life. Last week, I wrote about how to avoid unsolicited advice. Today, I’m going to round out the…

If I were pressed to list three of my least favorite things, that list might look something like this: Direct sales parties Large, noisy crowds Unsolicited advice That third item has become a bigger…

Earlier this year, when we did the 30 Day Photo Challenge, I enjoyed thinking creatively about each day’s prompt. That inspired me to come up with a September challenge which might require the same…

Every spring I teach a course on the American Dream. That means I have the same conversations on this topic with some regularity. For instance, I can always count on a heated discussion of…