Humming in the New Year

This moment, in poetry.

At this particular moment, stuffed to overflowing with too many conflicting emotions, this poem from Rumi found me. Maybe it has something to offer you, too.

Say What, Nana?: An Unexpected Family Story

One of the things I most enjoy about holiday gatherings is the story-telling. But in decades of listening, this was one I didn’t expect.

Field Report: Inside the Tween Slumber Party

Submitted by Angela Dove, intrepid field reporter for Suburban Geographic

Women in Waiting . . . for Mammograms

In which a highly medicated patient is far more inviting than stepping naked into a glass-plated vice. . .

An Apology to my Neighbors

Including an explanation of how two spiders crawled under my shirt.

LGBT Church Conference a Gold Mine for Radical Tourism

[I was a North Carolina travel writer and restaurant critic in 2005 when the well-intentioned “Hearts on Fire” conference came to our local Methodist conference center, and my quaint mountain community was inundated with nutjobs and TV news crews–not always distinguishable. I submitted this rant instead of my usual pieces, and a columnist was born. How far have we come since then? Sigh.]

Devastating accident leads to life of joyful music

Today Martha Weathers Brown, still an avid runner, credits the power of music for helping her reclaim her life.

Sometimes losing the future you believe is yours opens you up to an even better tomorrow.

Would your kids avoid stranger abduction? My son did.

Here’s the story. (Plus tips on how to prepare your child!)

Acolyte Horror Show

In which a Loose Tooth becomes a Disaster of Biblical Proportions