With each new holiday comes new insights that last a lifetime
GalleryBack to the Beginning With You
To the dismay of my then four young adult children, every birthday I answered their question with the same motherly line. “All I want as a gift are happy children.”
“God, Mom! There has to be something you want,” Jenni, grumbled, “We want to buy you a gift. Why do you make this so difficult?”
Thinking back to their annual plea, I had to agree. Sure, a nice purse or a pretty piece of jewelry would have been lovely. But the truth was, and still is, […]
Why Believe in Santa
With two corkscrew ponytails bouncing wildly at the sides of my six-year-old freckled face, I stormed into the house in a hissy fit. Even as a first grader, I hated lies, and this one was a doozy.
“Mom!” I screamed, indignantly. “Do you know what that stupid Larry told me?”
Wiping the wisps of baby-fine hair that had become dislodged as a result of my furry, she looked at my innocent baby face, and said calmly, “no, tell me.”
Being the granddaughter of silent movie actors […]
GalleryThe Unexpected Gift that Saved a Life
Never under estimate the power of kindness, no matter what age we become
Photo from Unsplash — selfhealschool.com
The frenzy over the upcoming Christmas season had escalated to such a fever pitch in the Madden family home; neighbors wondered if our highly charged energy was from some other white powdery substance my mom sprinkled over the top of our oatmeal.
Surveying the shopping list […]
The Reciprocal Gift
As if chased by a mean googly-eyed monster, I ran from my little brother to the safety of my bedroom. Behind the closed door, I clutched the king-sized Aba Zabba in my plump, tight-fisted six-year-old hands, and hung onto the gooey taffy for dear life.
“I want it back, you Indian giver!” Timmy screamed.
My body was thrown against the door to restrain his entry, I quickly ripped apart the wrapper and shoved the 10-inch peanut butter paste into my mouth. Sure I had given it […]