“You are way too blunt.” “You’re not blunt! You just tell it like it is!” “I appreciate your small talk. It makes me feel like you care.” “Enough small talk already- just get to the point!” Ever been completely confused by people’s contrasting opinions of your communication style? Ever been bewildered, trying to figure out […]
The Art of Mirroring Read More »
Communicating with our children at any age can be downright tricky. My redheaded 9-year old regularly throws me for a loop and leaves me dizzy. Recently he scraped his leg pretty badly from falling off of a skateboard (I learned that he had been wearing roller blades at the time. Go figure.) That night, I
Reverse Psychology for the Redhead Read More »
While many women are unabashedly enthusiastic football fans, providing praise-worthy recreational companionship for their significant others, others of us like to keep a low profile, drawing on the element of surprise to garner the admiration of our sweeties. For me, I fall into the latter camp, and have used many verbal strategies over my 12
How to Make it Look Like You Know Nothing About Football Read More »
Three wise guys A.K.A. Magis Used their eyes To search the skies Not for French fries Or apple pies But for a prize In the skies A star! Surprise! They theorized And asked their whys With no replies So the three did rise And packed supplies Said their goodbyes To their wives Traveled lows and
My table is perfect. The tablecloth with the turkeys on the edges. Candles. Our finest dishes. And then- I carefully place my favorite little plaster “Give Thanks” pumpkin with the painted green ivy leaves in the center of the table. Five minutes till our guests arrive- and counting. My dad stands at the counter slicing
Some things are downright embarrassing. Like when you are carrying around a large item at Bed, Bath and Beyond and a clerk offers to get you a cart. It just happens to be the squeakiest cart in the world. Or when you tell a sports fan you remember when your high school marching band performed
Downright Embarrassing Read More »
“Ding!” My eyes fly open. “Ring-ding!” What in the world is that noise? “Ring-ding-ding!” I roll over and look at the clock. It’s 5am. “Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!” Is there a fox in my backyard? I tear downstairs and out the back door. “Ding!” I look around wildly. And then I see him. Not a fox, but Louie.
What Does the Bunny Say? Read More »
When my 10-year old son and I set out for a fall break road trip, headed to Michigan where I had to attend a board meeting, it wasn’t quite what I expected. I expected him to be frustrated when, 15 minutes into our trip, I realized I forgot my driver’s license. But he shrugged and
Through the Eyes of a 10-year Old Read More »
It was going to be a tough phone call. I dialed, put the phone up to my ear to wait for the other line to pick up and said, “God, please help me.” I heard a gasp. My son’s eyes were as wide as paper plates. “You know God’s phone number?” I laughed. And then
How to Pray Without Ceasing Read More »
WARNING: Be very cautious when writing a letter to an unknown vandal for smashing your windshield with a baseball. You probably imagined the deed was done by some smart-mouthed pre-teen with a swagger. And negligent parents who hadn’t taught him responsibility. You thought you were giving grace to an unknown face, a kid who had
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