If I were in charge of the world… All people would be encouraged to spend one hour outside each day strolling in a park, in the woods, by a lake, a mountain stream or the ocean All people would be encouraged to smile a lot, laugh more, and break into spontaneous song and dance All…

Tonight it’s a challenge to write anything. I’ve been working with students since 2:30 this afternoon and it’s 9 pm now. I also woke up early this morning – at 5:15 am – to finish a letter for Story Circle Network, the all-women writing non-profit for which I am currently serving as president. So, please…

I am spending a lot of time right now with students who are applying to medical school and dental school. They have personal statements and lists of their activities that need tending to and right now I’m doing a lot of tending. The deadline is pressing so we’re all working very hard. The good news…

We had a lovely and low-key celebration today of Mother’s Day and Sarah’s birthday. Sarah’s actual birthday is May 15th, but we’ll be celebrating the marriage of our nephew little Sam Leatherwood on that day, so we had a birthday party today instead. We had Thai food, whipped cream and fruit, presents and hang-out time….

I will admit that I have come late to cooking. For many years, I, like my mother before me, leaned toward a few very standard dishes that didn’t take too long to make. All you have to do is ask my children what they ate growing up and they’ll have two answers for you: spaghetti…

I suggested to my little brother Sam that we both write a song about our brother George, who died back in 2004. Sam had said he felt like George was a compass for him and I felt the same way. So, here is my first rendition of my song. First draft. Flawed. But a good…

As some of you know and many of you don’t, Ray and I do not eat white refined sugar. We haven’t since the early 1980s, with the exception of a few slip-ups on my part a few years back. (Ray never slips when it comes to white sugar, much to his credit.) We eat instead…