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Category: Family

Where everybody knows your username

We live near one of the top-ranked community colleges in the United States, Anne Arundel Community College. All of our nine students have attended AACC either as dual enrollment students during their high school years or as students obtaining their associate’s degree before transferring to another school. It was my turn in my retired educator status to enroll in some noncredit courses I was considering as part of upping the fun factor in my life.…

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Are We Missing Some Fun?

Let’s go fly a kite! For some of you, the invitation to fly a kite conjures up long ago memories. It may be true that you would need a GRAND reason to fly a kite. I had two GRAND reasons recently to fly a kite when I saw a kite festival announcement on my drive to my nearby gym. I thought, “That sounds like fun.” I had been thinking about and sensing a call to…

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Seeing as a Seven Year Old

When we lived in Hawaii, I wanted to connect better with each of my children. We lived in military housing in a beautiful pre-WWII neighborhood full of blooming plumeria, hibiscus, and towering royal palms. I would take them one at a time for a walk around the block. As a young parent, I tried too hard to squeeze something meaningful into the time, and often my questions weren’t born from curiosity but trying to drive…

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35 years of Graces

When I was young, I didn’t give much thought to marriage. I set my eyes on school and the Navy. While stationed in Rhode Island, I found a friend willing to risk deeper conversations with me. I recall one conversation with my friend, Tina, that served as a guiding, grace-filled word to my unfolding future. She asked me what I wanted in a husband. I thought about it and quickly answered. At the time, I…

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Am I listening?

I struggle to listen. I have spent years reading, teaching, and practicing active listening, but I still struggle. Some friends would claim I am a good listener, but I know my inner struggle to attend and listen. This struggle showed up powerfully on a recent visit to my 91-year-old mother. My mom, Maxine, is declining. She no longer can link my name to her memory, but when I walk in the room with my husband,…

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Prepare the Way

Are you already starting to breathe heavily and sigh at the approach of Christmas decorations invading store aisles? Has the looming pronouncements of supply chain shortages have you worried about getting your Christmas gift shopping done without delay? Personally, my own resistance to getting sucked into the rush and overwhelm is to honor Advent. Practice a pause to honor the season of making room in my heart for Christmas without adding any more pressure to…

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