Category: Personal

We called him the bread man. Always smiling, Wayne worked for the Wonder Bread Company and delivered hamburger buns to the restaurant every week. Church was not part of our family-life, so Wayne took our family on as a mission field.  Wayne talked about Jesus while my dad blew cigarette smoke in Wayne’s face and…

Some of my earliest memories are in the back room of my parents’ Reaban’s Drive-In, a burger place. I sat at a butcher block counter in the back corner of the room, playing with dolls, especially my Little Kittles. Occasionally I peeked through the saloon-style doors which separated the back room from the public part…

Spending so much time at home in 2020, I wanted more creativity in my cooking. I also longed for comfort food, so the obvious choice was baking.  While scrolling Instagram, I noticed a resurgence of bread baking. This created a challenge, because not only did we have a shortage of toilet paper, we also had…

I scooped the pile of towels from the laundry room floor. Before I deposited the towels into the washer, a snake fell to the floor. In times like these a person learns how quickly she can move. And how loudly she can scream. I immediately grabbed a nearby bucket, turned it upside down and placed…

When I was a young girl, I spent a lot of time with my friend, Tonya. I wanted to be just like her. She was pretty and outgoing, and she was always doing something new and exciting. If Tonya liked something, I decided I liked it too. “I love green olives,” she announced to me…

My daughter and I were taking a walk in our neighborhood. I began to hear a noise. I assumed it was a weed eater, until a small motorbike pulled up next to us. An exuberant young man jumped off the motorbike, whipped off his helmet and began jabbering. My daughter and I stood there, somewhat…

Years ago, before my daughter married and left me, we enjoyed baking together. We baked many good things, but also had our share of fails. I like to imagine the Lord calling our grandmas, great-grandmas, and maybe even our great-great grandmas to peer over the balcony of heaven for a night of baking comedy. Shae…

I still remember the year my brother, 3 years older than I, informed me there was no Santa Claus. Upon receiving this news-flash, I immediately went to my mother. I knew my brother would have no problem lying to me, but my mother, I could trust her. I cannot honestly recall all the details, but…

Glitter. It is practically everywhere. And I do not like it. I don’t know where my dislike of glitter comes from, but I do not want it on me. Of course it is pretty and shimmer-y, but to have tiny flecks of any thing clinging to me is unacceptable. The red envelope I pulled out…