The fall my daughter turned 11, we took a family trip to Universal Orlando Resort, home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Eleven is a magical age for a young witch or wizard. It’s the birthday when they receive their letter inviting them to attend school at Hogwarts, thus allowing them to spend their …
The Lost Continent
The Lost Continent is like meeting a new person who just seems amazing and about five minutes into the conversation, you realize there's not a lot going on. It's a beautiful area. The theming is top-notch. The music transports you to another time and place. The food is excellent. But there's not a lot to …
Just A Biscuit
Small things done with great love will change the world.~ Mother Theresa “But it was just a biscuit!” The voice carries clearly across the surgery prep area. I am there too, in another little curtained pod, wrapped in a hospital gown, waiting for my time in the operation room. I, however, am a veteran of the …
Foolish Mortals
If you take a trip to Savannah, GA at some point you’ll notice there are a lot of Girl Scouts in that town. As you wander the tree-lined cobblestone streets, it is not unusual to encounter a large group of girls, all decked out in their vests and sashes, headed en masse with noble purpose. …
Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
As I planned our themed meal for the week, I saw our next stop was Seuss Landing... a colorful spot of whimsy beloved by my family, not so much for the thrills and chills, but more for the sense of goofiness we felt in that slightly off-balance island. I consulted recipes and wrote out menu …
(Not) Planning My Funeral
Because I could not stop for Death –He kindly stopped for me –The Carriage held but just Ourselves –And Immortality. -Emily Dickinson (excerpt from Because I could not stop for Death) It’s impossible to talk about cancer without mentioning death. That cancer diagnosis comes slamming into you, knocking you off into a corner of your …
Fortune Telling for Dummies
Our Girl Scout Service Unit* holds an annual Halloween party in late October. It transforms the church gym into a Halloween playground with decorations and booths. They ask each troop to provide candy and entertainment for the party-going Girl Scouts and tag-a-longs*. These booths range from games like “wrap the mummy” and “pumpkin bowling” to …
You’ve Got Cancer, What’re You Going To Do Now?
Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans - John Lennon The first words out of my mouth when the surgeon told me I need a mastectomy were “But we have a trip to Disney World in two weeks!” As if my plans prevailed over this disease that was slogging its way into …
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Port of Entry
About a month into our “new normal” of 2020, those long weeks of social distancing days blurred together. The day, the week, even the time no longer held much meaning. It got dark outside our windows. It got light again. Over and over it went, but mostly my world was lit by the soft glow …
Enjoying The Ordinary
“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people …
The Marvel of the Ordinary Life 